Pesticide sampler scoops environmental technology award

The Ministry of Environment of Baden-Württemberg, in Germany, has awarded the Environmental Technology Prize for the sixth time. Among this year’s winners were MAXX Mess und Probenahmetechnik who, after many weeks of intense and hard work, were delighted to receive an award for their pesticide sampler in the ‘Process Measuring & Control’ category.

The device is used for event-triggered automatic water sampling in agriculture areas. The instrument finds out how much the run-off water of these areas is loaded by pesticides etc. after heavy rainfall. This sampler represents a new, unique combination of particle sampling, liquid sampling and large-volume-solid-phase extraction (LVSPE). Although the unit is battery driven, it can handle long stand-by-times of several months and even cool the liquid sample after collection.

It is almost tamper proof and equipped with a GPS-tracker. A SMS unit notifies the operator automatically when a rain event has happened and the sampling program has been activated.