Skalar is pleased to present the next step in automation for the small scale sealed-tube COD analysis including automatic sample pipetting. This new feature completes the automation of st-COD procedure.

The procedure for the st-COD analysis is as follows:

The sample– and reagent tubes are loaded on the analyzer by the operator. The sample table is set up and the analyzer is started.

The following actions are performed automatically by the Robotic analyzers:

Reagent tube is picked up and is transported to the de-capping device.
The reagent tube is automatically de-capped
Sample is homogenized, diluted and a predefined volume of the sample is picked up
Sample is dispensed into the reagent tube
The reagent tube is capped
The sample needle and stirrer are rinsed
The sample and the reagent are mixed
The reagent tubes are inserted one by one into the heater block
Samples are digested for two hours at 148 ̊C
The tubes are transferred to the tube rack to cool down to approximately 60 ̊C
The tubes are mixed and left to cool down to room temperature
Tubes are transferred to the spectrophotometer and the sample is measured
After measurement the results are calculated and a QC trend is created

Both the SP50 and SP1000 analyzers provide in this way a complete automation of the st-COD procedure. The sample capacities for the SP50 and SP1000, including automatic sample pipetting, are respectively 96 and 160 tubes in one batch.

The Robotic SP^series offer a real “walk-away” fully automated COD concept, including mixing, heating, (de) capping, sample pipetting, cooling and photometric measurement. The Skalar SP^series are also available for automation of other colorimetric applications.

Analysis start screen Skalar launches its latest Robotics software package for controlling the range of Robotic analyzers and
applications such as BOD, COD, pH, Alkalinity, Turbidity, ISE etc..

With its modern graphical design, easy set up, clearly organized data processing per application and extensive QC features this software package ensures smooth and accurate operation of the different applications on the Robotic analyzers.

Start up
Runs can be easily started by selecting the required application and simply creating a sample table by dragging the racks to the analyzer. When the sample table is completed and the analysis sequence is defined, the run can be started or scheduled for another start time. All running and scheduled analyses can be tracked in the planner.

Analysis
The status of the running analysis can be followed on the screen and results are displayed in real-time.
During the run it is possible to add priority samples and exclude samples from measuring.

Quality Control Post analysis
Results can be printed in user defined print reports and exported to a txt, excel file or LIMS. Finished runs can be archived as well as backed up and restored later.

Quality Control
The software includes excellent automated Quality Control features, which assure high quality & accurate results. When QC samples are measured the results can be viewed in a Quality Control Chart. These charts display the data analyzed for QC samples in comparison to its preset limits. In addition it is possible to select data retrieved over a certain time span and view the corresponding graph.

If you require more information on this new software package or Skalar analyzers, please do not hesitate to contact us

Flow cell

Increased sensitivity can be achieved for the automated Phosphate method by implementation of a special flow cell in the San⁺⁺. This long pathlength flow cell combines an increased optical pathlength of 500 mm with a small sample volume (125 µl).

This makes this application particularly well suited for challenging samples with ultra low concentrations of Phosphate as for instance in seawater, but also for Phosphate analysis in other aqueous samples such as drinking & surface water.

Skalar’s automated method for Phosphate analysis is based on the following procedure. The ammonium hepta molybdate and potassium antimony (III) oxide tartrate react in an acidic medium with diluted solutions of phosphate to form an antimony-phospho-molybdate complex. This complex is reduced by L (+) ascorbic acid to an intensely blue-colored complex which is measured spectrometrically at 880 nm.

Application performance:
Typical performance data and analysis results of Skalar’s Phosphate application on the San⁺⁺ analyzer using the new type of flow cell can be found in the table and graphs below.

San⁺⁺ analysis data	Phosphate
Range	0 - 40 µg P/L
Minimum Detection Limit (MDL)	0.07µg P/L
RSD (%)	0.3%
Regression (r)	0.99993

Total Phosphate calibration curve (up to 40 µg P/L)

Total Phosphate calibration (up to 40 µg P/L)

The high sensitivity of phosphate analysis obtained with this new flowcel makes Skalar’s San++ analyzer the perfect choice for detecting extremely low levels of phosphate and other parameters in aqueous samples.

If you require more information on this Phosphate application or other Skalar analyzers & applications, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Skalar's most recent development is the implementation of a new type of flow cell in the San⁺⁺ which increases the sensitivity for the automated procedure of Phenol analysis considerably.

Extremely low concentrations of a.o. Total Phenol in all kinds of aqueous samples can be measured. This increased sensitivity is achieved due to the flow cell having an optical pathlength of 250 cm.

Skalar's procedure for Total Phenol analysis is in accordance with ISO method 14402, determination of phenol index (without extraction) after distillation. The colorimetric principle is based on a reaction with 4-amino-2,3-dimethyl-1-phenyl-3-pyrazolin-5-one forming yellow condensation products which are measured at 505 nm.

Typical performance data and analysis results of Skalar's Total Phenol application on the San⁺⁺ analyzer using the new type of flow cell can be found in the table and graphs below.

Application performance
San⁺⁺ analysis data	Total Phenols
Ranges	0.1 - 20 µg/l
Minimum Detection Limit (MDL)	0.1 µg/l
RSD (%)	0.001%
Regression (r)	0.99995

Calibration line results for the range up to 20 µg/l
ResultID	Position	SampleType	SampleIdentity	Phenol-Results (µg/l)
0	IW	IW	InitialWash	-0.01
1	A12	T	Trace	1 9.62
2	WI	WI	WashIgnore	0.64
3	A1	S1	0.00 µg Phenol/L	0.03
4	A2	S2	0.25 µg Phenol/L	0.32
5	A3	S3	0.50 µg Phenol/L	0.50
6	A4	S4	1.00 µg Phenol/L	0.90
7	A5	S5	2.00 µg Phenol/L	1.94
8	A6	S6	4.00 µg Phenol/L	3.94
9	A7	S7	6.00 µg Phenol/L	6.09
10	A8	S8	10.00 µg Phenol/L	9.96
11	A9	S9	12.50 µg Phenol/L	12.60
12	A10	S10	15.00 µg Phenol/L	15.03
13	A11	S11	17.50 µg Phenol/L	17.54
14	A12	S12	20.00 µg Phenol/L	19.90
15	A11	D	Drift	17.49
16	WT	W	Wash	0.01

Total Phenol calibration (0.1 - 20 ug/L)

Total Phenol calibration curve (0.1 - 20 ug/L)

Skalar's San⁺⁺ continuous flow analyzer is the ultimate solution for determining highly accurate extremely low levels of phenol and other parameters in large sample series at a high analysis frequency.

If you require more information on this Total Phenol application or other Skalar analyzers & applications, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Skalar is pleased to introduce its next generation of the HTAccess™ software package, used by the TOC/TN analyzer range. HTAccess^TM V3 is a very easy to use software package and includes an extensive range of new quality control and user defined result export & print features.

HTAccess^TM V3 still contains all the good features of earlier software version like easy to use templates for routine analysis, multi point regression, automatic exclusion of results, recalculation, statistics, automatic start-up and shut down and exporting of results.

New features highlights HTAccess^TM V3:

Possibility of opening multiple analysis runs
All information of a sample in one single view
Possibility of using Quality samples and creating Quality Control Charts
Contract Laboratory Protocol (CLP) compliant. User definable concentration limits for the different CLP samples and required actions (up to 4)
Possibility of exporting results during analysis
Windows 7 compatible
Remote signal monitoring

If you require more information on Skalar HTAccess^TMV3or analyzers, please do not hesitate to contact us

Skalar Analytical India is proud to announce their move to a new office - with immediate effect - in Chennai.

The building includes besides office facilities a very modern application laboratory, which will be used for analytical testing and application development, as well as for demonstrations & training of customers in India and neighboring countries.

Their new address is:

Asia / Middle East
Skalar Analytical India Pvt Ltd
1st Floor, “Ganesh Towers”
B-1, First Avenue, 100 Feet Road
Ashok Nagar, Chennai 600083, India

Tel. + 91 87544 78777

Email: info.skalarindia@skalar.com

Skalar attended the International Conference on Flow Analysis including related techniques from July 3-8 2011in Krakow, Poland on invitation of prof. dr. hab. Paweł Kościelniak.

The conference had an extended lecture program and poster sessions about various aspects of flow analysis and related techniques (chromatography, electrophoresis), such as basic analytical problems, multi-component analysis, instrumentation development and applications.

The conference was well visited by people from around the world. Skalar was present with a small booth, displaying its full range of automatic analyzers, like the San⁺⁺continuous flow analyzer, TOC & TN analyzers, Robotic Analyzers for BOD, COD, pH, conductivity analysis as well as Skalar's traineeship possibilities.

From here, Skalar likes to take the opportunity, to thank prof. dr. hab. Paweł Kościelniak for his invitation and everyone who has visited our booth and we are looking forward to see everybody again in the near future.

Skalar Belgium is pleased to announce the relocation of their office effective from September 1^st2011.

Their new address, telephone and fax numbers are:

Skalar Belgium bvba

Middelmolenlaan 175

2100 Antwerpen - Belgium

Tel: +32 (0)3 888 96 72

Fax: +32 (0)3 844 34 41

For further information or other questions please contact Mr. van den Bussche at vandenbussche.k@skalar.com .

If you require more information about Skalar analyzers or applications please fill out the information form.

Anionic surfactants

Anionic surfactants are the most widely used type of surfactant for laundering, dishwashing liquids and shampoos because of their excellent cleaning and high foaming potential.

Anionic surfactants enter surface waters mainly by discharge from industries, soap manufacturers and private households. They can cause even at a low concentration serious environmental pollution with toxic effect on living organisms. A highly sensitive method and removal of interfering substances is necessary for the determination of these surfactants in water.

Skalar has developed a highly accurate and reliable application for detecting low levels of anionic surfactants in all kind of water samples for the SAN⁺⁺ continuous flow analyzer.

Skalar MBAS method

Skalar's method is based on the MBAS (Methylene Blue Active Substances) index, according to ISO 16265: 2009 and EN 903. This is an analytical method used for water quality control purposes. It measures surfactants and other substances that react with Methylene blue. The dye Methylene blue, reacts in aqueous solution with anionic type surface materials to form a blue colored complex. The complex is extractable into chloroform. Unlike the original method, dialysis blocks with special membranes are used for the phase separation. The chloroform phase is measured at 650 nm. Interferences are removed by a counter extraction using an acidic methyl blue solution.

Application performance

If you require more information on the MBAS application above or other Skalar analyzers, please do not hesitate to contact us

Seawater samples have a short life time, therefore many seawater analyses are performed on board of a ship directly after sampling. Even though there are several sample preservation methods, shipboard analysis is the best approach to achieve accurate nutrient data.

The Skalar San⁺⁺automatic seawater analyzer is designed for use in laboratories ashore as well as on board of research vessels. The analyzer has a flexible and robust design and provides high quality, low level, accurate and highly reproducible results.

As most of time the same analyzer is used for analysis ashore and on board of a ship the instrument needs to be transported and re-installed frequently. To enable quick, easy and save transport between one location to another, Skalar has now special transport cases available for the San⁺⁺ seawater analyzer. The use of extra strong material and the heavy gauge, solid corners fully protects the instruments and makes the boxes ideal to withstand intensive usage.

Separate cases are available for the reagents, sampler, chemistry unit and interface.

All cases have recessed lock latches and strong carrier handles. The lock latches can be opened and closed in one simple movement.

When the analyzer is not in use, the cases are also ideal for storage.

Skalar has also developed a special mounting kit for stabilizing the analyzer during the sometimes tough weather conditions on sea. With this kit the analyzer, sampler and other equipment are quickly and securely mounted on the bench on board of a research vessel.

if you require more information regarding the SAN⁺⁺seawater analyzer, its transport case and bench mounting kit or for other questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

In laboratories sample handling and preparation is tedious and time-consuming. Automation of sample preparation steps and the subsequent analysis not only speeds up these procedures but also saves valuable operation time and generally increases accuracy, reproducibility and productivity.

With Skalar's Robotic Analyzer series,it is possible to prepare and analyze your samples fully automatically, from pipetting and dispensing the original sample into smaller containers up to automation of the actual sample analysis on an efficient and precise way.

For example, a fully automatic workflow, from the original sample until the final analysis result for EC, pH, Color and Alkalinity, can be configured, using three SP50 robotic analyzers in series.

Analyzer configuration

The 1^stSP50 features a manipulator, stirrer, two needles, which are both connected to a digital pump and flow cells for the measurement of Conductivity and Color. The analyzer has a capacity of 24 bottles of 2.5L each.

The 2^nd& 3^rd SP50 contain 84 vials of 100 ml. The analyzers are both equipped with a dispense needle, stirrer, pH electrode and titrator.

The flexible and user friendly Robotic Windows^™software package fully controls the process and calculates the results.

Analysis sequence

The original samples are first homogenized and then aspirated for transfer to the 2^nd and 3^rdSP50. Before dispensing into the vials, the sample passes the flow cells for measuring Conductivity/Color.

In the vials the sample is measured for pH and titrated for alkalinity.

Besides the above sequence it is possible to pipette the original sample to different sized vials on various trays, which can be offered to other instruments for analysis.

Skalar has different analyzer models available from the SP10 (smaller sized batches) to the SP1000 (larger sized batches). Every instrument has their specific advantages, but all providing hands-free, walk-away automation for a large number of parameters such as BOD, COD, Carbonate/Bicarbonate, Turbidity, Ion Selective Electrodes (ISE) applications and Clay fraction etc.

If you require more information on the above or other tailor-made automation solutions please do not hesitate to contact us.

As an international company Skalar attends a number of major exhibitions around the world. We will be pleased to meet you and demonstrate Skalar's latest innovations in wet chemistry automation, TOC & TN and Robotic analyzers at one of the following exhibitions:

Eurolab March 9-11

Booth No. E7,Warsaw, Poland, www.mttargi.pl

On display will be Skalar's San⁺⁺continuous flow analyzer and the SP10 robotic analyzer configured for BOD analysis.

Pittcon March 13-18

Booth No. 1861, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, www.pittcon.org

The following products will be displayed:

BluVision^TMdiscrete analyzer for automation of basic colorimetric analyses, handling all kind of sample matrices.
CFA designated for Kelada Cyanide analysis (EPA approved) and one for Total Phenol, Total Phosphate and Total Nitrogen analysis (incl. automated distillation and digestion).
SP10 robotic analyzer for the cost effective analysis of st-COD according to ISO 15705 and EPA 410.4 and a SP10 for automatic BOD analysis.
Primacs^SLC Liquid/Solid Carbon Analyzer and also the Primacs^SN Solid Total Nitrogen/Protein analyzer.
Formacs^HT/TN TOC/TN analyzer with a stand-alone auto sampler and additional Nitrogen detector.

ChemBio March 22-24

Booth No. 6e64, Helsinki, Finland, www.chembiofinland.fi

The Formacs^HT and autosampler, San⁺⁺ configured for Total CN and permanganate value (CODMn) analysis and a SP50 pH/EC are demonstrated.

Laborama March 24-25

Booth no. 2-D2, Groot Bijgaarden, Belgie, www.laborama.be/

The following chemistry automation products are showed BluVision^TM, San⁺⁺, SP10Robotic analyzer configured for st-COD and Formacs^HT/TN TOC analyzer with additional Nitrogen detector.

Seawater analysis is an essential part of environmental monitoring. High-quality nutrient data retrieved over time periods can give us valuable information regarding our ecosystem.

Determination of nutrients such as Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite and Phosphate in seawater can create many challenges for a laboratory. In addition to the requirement for ultra-low nutrient concentrations, other challenges such as the high contamination risk, short life time of the sample and matrix interferences can present problems for the laboratory.

Thus analysis of seawater nutrients requires qualified personnel, optimized methods and a robust, highly accurate and sensitive instrumentation.

The Skalar San⁺⁺continuous flow analyzer has been successfully used for decades in seawater laboratories and on board of ships worldwide. The San⁺⁺ is idealfor the analysis of extremely low nutrient concentrations in seawaterand provides high quality, accurate and highly reproducible results. Typical analysis data of the San⁺⁺ analyzer can be found in the table below.

The San⁺⁺can be equipped with an unique digital turbo matrix detector to provide true optical matrix correction. This detector is especially designed to compensate automatically for changing salinities between seawater samples. The matrix correction is accomplished by optically splitting the light beam after passing the flow cell and measuring at two different wavelengths. The absorbance from the correction wavelength is subtracted from the measurement wavelength, thus the final result is automatically corrected for any background interference. In addition the special construction of the flow cell minimizes carry over and avoids the so-called “Schlieren effect” , the turbulence which is caused by differences in salinities concentrations, scattering the light and resulting in erratic signals.

The flexible design and optional work platform makes the San⁺⁺ the best choice for seawater analysis. The completely closed instrument can be set either to analyze individual samples with an autosampler or in its on-line capability on board research vessels analyzing continuously multiple parameters at different depths whilst the ship is sailing. Optionally, the analyzer can be equipped with a diluter station for automatic pre– and post dilutions of the samples and automatic standard preparation.

If you require more information on the above or Skalar analyzers, please do not hesitate to contact us

Skalar is proud to launch the next generation of the FlowAccess^TM software package for the San⁺⁺ continuous flow analyzer: FlowAccess^TMV3. Because of its ease of use, quick set up and advanced analytical tools for real time viewing, editing and calculations this new software package fits perfectly in today's modern analytical laboratory. FlowAccess^TMV3 has in addition automated Quality Control features with integrated CLP protocols, which assures high quality & accurate results with effortlessness operation.

FlowAccess^TM V3 includes all the familiar features of the earlier version V2 like easy to use graphical user interface, full system control of up to 16 analysis channels simultaneously, automatic baseline and sensitivity drift correction, full data protection (21 CFR Part 11) and complete raw data storage from each analysis for diagnosis and post validation.

New features highlights FlowAccess^TM V3:

Table Wizard, for quick set up of the sample workload table
Real time graphical screens for multiple channel view or more detailed view of one channel
Real time result calculations by 1st or 2nd order according to ISO 8466 or 3rd order and inverse logarithm for use with Ion Selective Electrodes.
Pre– and post dilution factors per parameter
Series of post dilutions available
Extensive Quality Control criteria including CLP protocols. User definable concentration limits for the different CLP samples and required actions (up to 4) when CLP item is outside the set limits.

FlowAccess^TM V3 can be extended with two separate programs. FlowReports ^TMfor customized, flexible and advanced reporting and QAccess ^TMfor statistical calculations and sensitivity of your analyzer results across time periods.

If you require more information on the above or Skalar analyzers, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Skalar has automated the detection of trace concentrations of formaldehyde in water and the total concentration of formaldehyde in adhesives on the San⁺⁺in cooperation with Dynea. Dynea is a global leader in providing high performance adhesion and surfacing solutions for the wood-working industry and other industrial applications. Automating these analytical procedures with the San⁺⁺ provides Dynea excellent, reliable and reproducible results and saves on costs and labor time.

In 2004 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of WHO, decided to recommend the reclassification of formaldehyde as “carcinogenic for humans (group I)” on the basis of available scientific data. Since then a lot of countries have tightened their regulations on formaldehyde emission resulting in the use of a wider range of emission test procedures and an increase of the amount of emission samples.

Most of these emission tests are labor-intensive, tedious and time-consuming manual wet chemistry analyses. Therefore Skalar and Dynea started a cooperation to fully automate the acetylacetone analytical procedure (for detection of formaldehyde in water and adhesives) using continuous flow technology.

Trace concentration of formaldehyde in water

All steps from Dynea's classical manual method are fully automated including automatic preparation of calibration standards. Vials with the formaldehyde samples are placed on the sampler. To avoid any contamination from the air, septum sealed vials are used. Samples are automatically picked up by the autosampler. After colorimetric reaction and photometric detection, the sample results are automatically calculated.

Comparison of performance data; manual versus automated method

	Dynea's classical manual method	Skalar's SAN++ automated method
LOQ	30 ppb	< 10 ppb
Range	30 ppb -1 ppm	10 ppb - 1 ppm
Time of analysis	First sample; approx. 2 hr. and 3 hrs. to process 10-20 samples	First sample; 10 min. and subsequent samples 2 min.

Total concentration of formaldehyde in adhesives

The manual procedure for analyzing the total concentration of formaldehyde involves many sample pretreatment steps including hydrolysis, distillation and titration. All these steps can be automated using the San++ analyzer, where the titration step is replaced by the colorimetric acetyl acetone method as for free formaldehyde. This reduces the amount of manual analyzing steps to a large extend.

Results are available in 20 minutes compared to the traditionally wet chemistry procedure, which takes more than 2 hours. Sample throughput of automated method is 15-20 samples per hour, while in the manual method each sample requires more than 2 hours analyzing time.

Accuracy

Deviation from ‘reference values'
LT ± 0,5 % formaldehyde

Precision

Repeatability RSD < 0,5 %
Reproducibility RSD < 1,0 %

The automation of both formaldehyde applications with the Skalar San ⁺⁺analyzer gives excellent results and saves time & costs. In addition the continuous flow technology provides better reproducibility as all samples and standards are treated exactly the same way for exactly the same time compared to the manual method where the timing can always slightly vary from sample to sample. Calculations are made automatically and thus minimizing human errors. The results can be directly exported to a LIMS or downloaded to Excel and customized print reports can be generated.

For more information about the above described methods or other applications, please contact Skalar.

Analytica 2010

From March 23^rd-26^th Skalar will exhibit at Analytica 2010 in Munich, Germany.

Analytica is the international Fair for Instrumental Analysis, Laboratory Technology and Biotechnology with analytica Conference. More information: http://www.analytica.de/

If you are looking for reliable, innovative products and custom made automation solutions for use in your laboratory it will be worth to visit the Skalar booth in Hall A1, number 119

Skalar has an extensive range of analyzers for all your environmental and industrial applications. Our product specialists will be happy to answer all your questions or to assist you in choosing the right analyzer/solution for your application.

On display will be:

Skalar's latest development the BluVision^TMdiscrete analyzer for basic colorimetric analysis for the environmental and industrial field.

San++ The San ⁺⁺ continuous flow analyzer, for the automation of all colorimetric applications including complex parameters such as Cyanide and Phenol; Total Phosphate, Total Nitrogen etc...

Robotics Our Robotic Analyzers for the automation of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), pH and Conductivity and also for sample preparation and titrations.

Formacs^seriesand Primacs^seriesfor fast, reliable analysis of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Total Nitrogen (TN) in liquid and solid samples using high temperature catalytic combustion.

The Online 9000C module for 24hr/day online measurement of a wide variety of applications in the environmental and industrial field. On display will be the Free and Total Cyanide analyzer.

For more information about our products contact Skalar or visit our Booth (Hall A1, nr. 119)

SKALARyour partner in chemistry automation

According to EPA Method Kelada: for the analysis of Total, Weak Acid Dissociable, Cyanide Amenable to Chlorination, and Free Cyanides in Drinking, Waste and Surface Waters

Many laboratories on a daily basis analyze many samples for the presence of various forms of cyanide. Most of these samples do require manual distillation and/or digestion of the sample prior to a standard colorimetric detection in order to remove the presence of known interferences. The manual distillation process is very cumbersome and very time consuming along with creating excess waste in the laboratory. Today's laboratory is increasingly short on time and analysts creating a bottleneck effect with regards to sample throughput on this much needed analysis.

Skalar-Kelada-Total Cyanide In response to this demand, Skalar with Dr. Nabih Kelada designed a system for this analysis. Dr. Kelada is a retired chemist from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago where he did most of his research while running the District's various samples that came into the laboratory.

The main advantage to this method of analysis, that all of our customers have found as a huge benefit, is that the sample turn around occurs in one day. With the manual method, which takes 2 or more hours, operators in many cases were not finding out that their quality controls had failed until later in the day and would now have to do the manual distillation again the next day. With the Kelada system, if there was a quality control failure, the analyst can make corrective actions and still manage to gather the data that same day, not to mention a reduction in chemical usage and waste. Generally speaking because this is a closed system there is no loss of sample preventing erroneous results.

Furthermore, all of these labs have managed to reduce the amount of overtime hours by integrating the Kelada system on their current Skalar system and will see a very quick return on their investment. Also with the Skalar-Kelada method the system can offer multiple species of cyanide with little to no changeover on one system. The Skalar-Kelada system can also be set up with many other analytes as the system is designed to do up to three other parameters.

One of our first users Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection in Harrisburg has benefitted greatly by the upgrade to the Kelada methodology. They have seen a decrease in man hours and have also been able to improve their detection limits as well giving them more analysis options and reaching out to other clients that they may not have been able to provide a service to before.

Westchester County Environmental Laboratory in Valhalla, New York has also seen a huge benefit in upgrading their current Skalar cyanide analysis to the Kelada system methodology. They have experienced better recoveries on difficult matrices giving them a better picture of the actual value. Also they have greatly decreased their man hours dedicated to the distillation and digestion procedure also decreasing their turn-around times. They are reporting to us that by upgrading to our system annually they can save almost $10,000 in consumable and man hours each year using the Kelada system. The lab supervisor also mentioned to us that with their old method they were restricted in a day to only doing 24 samples per day and now with the new system there is not a limit.

Eurolab 2010 The International Trade Fair of Analytical, Measurement and Control Technology EuroLab will be held for the 12^th time in the Trade Fair and Congress Centre MT Polska in Warschau, Poland.

Skalar products will be presented at:

Booth number: E5

Visit the booth and get more information about Skalar's extensive product range, for chemistry automation and the latest developments. The new and existing range of Skalar analyzers has proven to be the most reliable and economical choice of today's modern laboratories.

On display will be the:

The San⁺⁺ Continuous Flow Analyzer
SP10 Robotic Analyzer

For more information about our products contact Skalar or visit our Booth (E5)

SKALARyour partner in chemistry automation

Pittcon 2009 Come and visit us during Pittcon 2010.

Pittcon is the world’s annual premier Conference and Exposition on laboratory science. It is organized by The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy.

Skalar will exhibit at,

Booth No. 4011

March 1-4, 2010

Orange County Convention Center

Orlando, Florida, USA

The following Skalar Analyzers will be on full display:

· Complete automated Total Cyanide Analysis. EPA approved and adapted in the Federal Register:“Method Kelada-01”

· BluVision^TM: Latest in discrete analysis technology for wet chemistry automation truly designed and dedicated for environmental applications

· Continuous Flow Analysis for both nutrients and industrial applications including Total UV Nitrogen/Phosphate, MBAS and Phenol

· Robotic analyzers automated BOD analysis, pH/EC, Titrations and sample-prep

· Total Organic Carbon Analysis (solids and liquids)

· Total Nitrogen analysis (solids and liquids)

For more information about our products contact Skalar or visit our Booth (4011)

SKALARyour partner in chemistry automation

Join us on 27^th– 28^th January 2010 at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in the Sacramento Convention Center, Sacramento, California, USA.

Third floor, Ballroom, booth number 2405

The Unified Wine & Grape Symposium hosts more than 600 booths and 30 large vineyard and winery machinery areas. The exposition encompasses a wide range of products related to the wine and grape industry and includes international representation in both sessions and exhibits.

San++ On display will be the Skalar San⁺⁺ Automatic Wine Analyzer for volatile acids, total SO2, free SO2, malic acid and many more. The San⁺⁺ Automatic Wine Analyzer is a modular system that can be configured to meet your requirements. Each analytical manifold is configured for a specific parameter and complies with national and international guidelines. A total of 16 parameters can be analyzed simultaneously. No sample preparation is needed and the analyzer performs all distillations/digestions without operator intervention. All wine parameters can be analyzed within 2 minutes a sample, thus making the analyzer an ideal tool for large capacity or high sample load facilities.

The continuous flow analyzer is used for many more purposes than Wine analysis only, for more information about the San⁺⁺and its application fields contact Skalar or visit our Booth (2405)

Come and visit us at ARABLAB 2010in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre!

Skalar products will be presented at:

Booth number: 527

Opening hours (daily): 10:00am - 06:00pm

Stop by booth 527 and learn more about Skalar’s analyzers for all your environmental and industrial applications. Get more information about our latest development, the BluVision^TM discrete analyzer designed to perform basic colorimetric analysis for the environmental field or Skalar’s extensive range of robotic analyzers to automate applications like BOD, COD, pH, Conductivity, Turbidity etc..

The following analyzers will be on display:

San++ SAN⁺⁺Automated Wet Chemistry Analyzer

Offers complete automation for all colorimetric applications. For complex parameters such as Total Phenol, Total Cyanide, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphate, automatic in-line sample pretreatment such as distillation and/or digestion can be performed.

Formacs HT & Primacs MCS

Formacs ^HTTOC analyzer & Primacs ^MCS (TOC add on module for solid samples)

Provides fast, reliable analyses of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in liquid and solid samples using high temperature catalytic combustion. An economical solution for laboratories handling a large variety of sample matrices.

For more information about our products contact Skalar or visit our Booth (527)

SKALARyour partner in chemistry automation

This article in Russian

Milk samples from each individual cow are tested on composition and quality by specialized laboratories. The quality test indicates whether the demands for hygiene during production and on-farm storage of the milk are met. The milk composition test is essential for e.g. feeding optimization and timely medical treatment. Reported data serve to take adequate dairy farm management decisions. Abnormal levels of β-Hydroxybutyric acid and Citric acid in milk give us important information about the cow’s health status.This information is essential for the farmer, as the milk production could be negatively influenced. Skalar offers a fully automatic and cost-effective continuous flow analyzer, San ⁺⁺, for the enzymatic determination of β-Hydroxybutyric acid and Citric acid in milk.

Automated analysis in the San⁺⁺

Samples can be offered to the system directly. The analyzer is equipped with a dialyzer, to remove protein, fat and larger molecules from the samples. Also a blank determination is measured prior to the addition of the enzyme as the sample can contain natural NADH or 340 nm interfering substances. The result is automatically subtracted by the data acquisition software from thetotal measurement.

Principle and Background enzymatic β-Hydroxybutyric acid analysis

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In the presence of the enzyme β -hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) the β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) is oxidized by nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD) to acetoacetate and NADH. The amount of NADH formed in the reaction can be directly correlated with the amount of β-hydroxybutyric acid and is measured at 340 nm.

Energy deficiency in dairy cows can cause subclinical (without signs or symptoms) or clinical ketosis. In ketotic state the concentration of ketone bodies (acetone (AC), acetoacetic acid (ACAC) and β-hydroxybutyric acid) increases in the different body fluids. The early detection of elevated levels of ketone bodies – mainly during the subclinical stage of energy deficiency – is highly recommended, as these conditions are associated with decreased milk yield, reproductive performance and increased risk of clinical ketosis.

Principle and Background enzymatic Citric acid analysis

Citrate is converted into oxaloacetate and acetate, catalyzed by citrate lyase. Oxaloacetate decarboxylises easily into pyruvate. Both oxaloacetate and pyruvate are reduced by NADH to respectively 1-malate and 1-lactate, catalyzed by malate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase. The decrease of the amount of NADH is stoichiometric with the amount of citrate. The remaining NADH is measured at 340 nm.

Decreased levels of citric acid can be found in milk of cows, which have sub clinical or clinical mastitis. The impact of mastitis such as changes in milk composition reduces its quality. In addition, the antibiotic used in treating mastitis leaves residues in the milk, which interferes with the manufacturing process of many dairy products and can cause health problems to consumers. Therefore early detection of decreased citric acid levels during the subclinical stage is highly recommended.

The San⁺⁺continuous flow analyzer - for adequate dairy farm management

Fast sample through-put
High accuracy and reproducibility
Cost saving on reagents
Standardization of methods
Standardization of operation conditions
Inter-laboratory variations minimized
No transcription errors

Besides the β-hydroxybutyric and Citric acid methods, the San⁺⁺ analyzer can handle also other relevant parameters for milk such as: Urea, Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Protein and Acetone

For more informationplease contact Skalar.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is one of the most important parameters monitored when evaluating the water quality. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Since the 80’s Skalar automated the labor-intensive Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) analysis on its range of Robotic Analyzers. Skalar is continuously developing its analyzers with the latest innovations. Recently the optical dissolved oxygen probe has been implemented on the Skalar Robotic Analyzers for use in BOD and DO measurements.

Dissolved Oxygen Probe Skalar Robotic Analyzers fitted with this new Optical DO probe have a faster response time and therefore higher sample throughputs can be achieved.

Immediately after loading the samples, the analysis can be started. Daily probe calibration is not required anymore and calibration is limited to once per month. The probe requires minimal maintenance and there is no need to replace electrolyte solutions or membranes. Annual replacement of the sensor cap is sufficient.

All Skalar Robotic Analyzers (SP10, SP50, SP100 and SP1000) can be equipped with this new Optical DO probe. Custom-made configurations are available based on sample load, with multiple probes/meters, automatic dilution, ATU / seed dispensing, automatic capping/de-capping etc., meeting the requirements of any laboratory. From 32 up to 120 BOD bottles can be set as uninterrupted sample batches. Sample trays can be added during analysis runs to handle any required sample load.

Specifications new Optical Oxygen probe:

DO <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />ConcentrationRange: 0.00 to 20.0 mg/l

Resolution:0.001, 0.1 mg/l
Relative Accuracy: +/- 0.1 mg/l up to 8 mg/l, +/- 0.2 mg/l from 20 mg/l

% Saturation Range: 0.0 to 200%

Resolution: 0.1, 1%
Relative Accuracy: +/- 2%

Barometric Pressure: 450 to 850 Hg, automatic or manual

Calibration Features: Water saturated air, air saturated water and zero point

Sensor Type: RDO optical

TemperatureRange: 0 to 50 ̊C

Resolution: 0.1 ̊C
Relative Accuracy: +/- 0.3 ̊C

For more information please contact Skalar.

Small scale sealed-tube method according to ISO 15705 and EPA 410.4

SP10 COD Analyzer

Most laboratories are familiar with the well-known chemical oxygen demand or COD value of water. The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) test is intended for the examination of waters of various qualities.

The COD value of water as determined by this dichromate method can be considered as an estimate of the theoretical oxygen demand, i.e. the amount of oxygen consumed in total chemical oxidation of the organic constituents present in the water.

This small scale sealed-tube COD test method can be used for any aqueous sample, i.e. water suitable for domestic or industrial supplies, surface water, ground water, cooling or circulating water, boiler feed water, treated and untreated sewage or industrial waste water and saline waters.

Skalars latest development is the SP10^CODrobotic analyzer, which has been designed for the cost-effective automation of COD analysis. Thisrobotic analyzer offers a real walk-away concept for the sealed-tube method according to ISO 15705 and EPA 410.4.

The SP10^CODanalyzer consists of a XYZ sample handling station with a sample capacity of 96 tubes. Higher capacity is possible on our SP50^CODrobotic analyzer.

After the homogeneous sample is added into the reaction tubes by the operator, the tubes are placed in the sample racks and the analyser is started. The analyser will pick-up the tubes and mixes them. Then the tubes will be automatically positioned in the reactor where they are heated for two hours at 150 ºC. The analyser keeps track of the reaction time per tube.

When the reaction time is completed the analyzer places the tubes in the sample rack to cool down to 60ºC, after which they are mixed when still being warm. After the samples are cooled down to ambient temperature they will be measured with a photometric detector on the required wavelength The concentration is shown in the result screen of the software and the data can be transported to the LIMS system.

Skalar's SP10 robotic analyzer can also be configured to automate one of the following applications:

BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
PH in soil and water
Conductivity
Ammonia ISE
Chloride
Hardness
Alkalinity
Oxygen
Turbidity
Color

Also all our robot analyzers can be used as sample preparation unit such as dilution station, sample splitter or titration sampler.

The software is designed as a modular data acquisition and instrument control system. For each Robotic Analyzer, the specific applications of the analyzer are pre-set in the software. The user friendly software for the SP10 is easy to set-up and operate in day-to-day routine analysis.With password protected levels, user definable worksheet & report lay-outs and easy LIMS connection it fully meets the requirements of today's analytical laboratory.

For more information please contact Skalar.

OctoPlus is a well-known pharmaceutical development and drug product manufacturing company in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Leiden, the Netherlands. Using its proprietary drug delivery technologies, OctoPlus successfully develops long-acting pharmaceuticals for its clients. One of these products is a long-acting formulation of interferon a-2b, called Locteron^®. This product is currently under investigation in a clinical Phase II study for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

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Locteron^® consists of PolyActive^® polymer based microspheres containing interferon. Interferons are natural proteins which are generally produced by the cells of the immune system. To determine the interferon content, the microspheres have to be broken down, where after the interferon is extracted.

For this, the Locteron freeze-dried cakes are incubated in a basic solution, the PolyActive^® polymer is dissolved and the interferon is extracted. After that, the samples are further diluted to the working range of the method and injected into the Skalar Formacs^TN Total Nitrogen analyzers. As interferon is the only compound in the formulation that contains nitrogen, it is possible to determine the interferon content in the sample based on the analysis of the nitrogen portion. By using the Skalar Formacs^TN high temperature combustion analyzer, the lengthy and tedious wet-digestion methods (Kjeldahl) are omitted. Furthermore, the combustion method allows a faster sample throughput and does not suffer from interferences as a result of the PolyActive^® polymer. For calibration, interferon a-2b calibration standards are prepared and injected to create a calibration line. The peak areas of the samples are correlated with the interferon a-2b calibration line to determine the interferon content in each sample.

The Formacs^TN Analyzer with its integrated autosampler picks up the sample with a syringe pump and injects it into a high temperature furnace at temperatures up to 900°C containing a catalyst. The samples oxidize to nitric oxide (NO) using catalytic combustion. The carrier gas transports the combustion products via scrubbers to a chemiluminescence detector (CLD) that detects and measures the NO concentration which is proportional to the nitrogen content.

Formacs^TN analyzer at OctoPlus laboratory

Total Nitrogen can be measured in a range from low ppb levels to high ppm levels with high accuracy in a short analysis time.

OctoPlus chose the Skalar Formacs^TN Analyzer because the determination of interferon through the measurement of Total Nitrogen is done accurately and rapidly with use of very small sample volumes. Specific points of interest of the Skalar Formacs^TN Analyzers are fast response times, its robustness and accessibility. As the production of Locteron^® is controlled by the Total Nitrogen results, a good analytical performance, especially in the low ppb range is very important as the result provides information on the concentration per vial as well as the uniformity of the produced Locteron^® drug batches.

These analyses are crucial in order to progress the product successfully through clinical studies.

For more information about OctoPlus, visit www.octoplus.nl

In chemical pulping, the kappa number is conventionally used to provide feedback that supports optimum pulping conditions. The Skalar automatic laboratory Kappa number analyzer automates the manual procedure according to ISO 302 and others for the determination of the lignin, which is used to describe the degree of delignification attained in a chemical pulping process.The Skalar SP50 or SP1000 analyzer concepts offer maximum degree of automation for reliable and stable kappa number analysis, reducing human error, saving laboratory time and reagents.

Analyzer design and lay-out:

The "Kappa Number" test, determines oxidation potential in the pulp sample by a quantity of 0,02 mol/l potassium permanganate solution consumed by a sample of pulp in 10 minutes at 25° C.

Automatic procedure on SP1000 / SP50 after sample pretreatment.

Place the disintegrated pulp samples in a max. two liter (or smaller) beaker in the thermostatic block (25°C ) of the robotic analyzer. The manipulator is lowered into the first sample and stirs the sample continuously during analysis
Potassium permanganate and sulphuric acid solution are pumped in the sample container
After 10 minutes potassium iodide is added to stop the reaction
Free Iodine in the sample is titrated using a sodium thiosulfate solution
Blank sample is analyzed according to step 1 to 4 ( without pulp)
The result of the sample is calculated

Sample capacity:

The SP50 robotic analyzer can handle 6 bottles of 2 ltr each

The SP1000 robotic analyzer handles 18 bottles of 2 ltr each

The volumes of the sample containers (500ml) and reagent can be reduced to increase the amount of samples handled in one batch on the analyzer and save reagent.

For more information please contact Skalar.

Skalar is continuously developing and integrating new automated applications for the San⁺⁺ Continuous Flow Analyzer. Skalar’s most recent development is the implementation of the Kelada-01 (EPA) method for the determination of total cyanide, acid dissociable cyanide and thiocyanate. Determination of cyanide is regulated by ISO and EPA standards.

Wine Analyzer

ISO standard:
The ISO 14403 method describes the determination of total cyanide and free cyanide in various types of water. Skalar offers the complete system to perform cyanide determination according ISO14403. This method is based on UV digestion using a borosilicate irradiation coil and UV light source. In this way Total Cyanide is determined and break-down of thiocyanate is excluded. Free Cyanide can also be determined on the same module set-up by switching-off the UV-lamp. Thiocyanate can be analyzed simultaneously using a specific chemistry module.

EPA Standard:
The Kelada-01 method provides the determination of total cyanide, acid dissociable cyanide and thiocyanate in various types of water, using UV digestion and distillation in one reactor set-up. Kelada-01 is approved and adapted in the Federal Register, EPA 40 CFR Parts 122 & 136.

Total Cyanide - Under irradiation in a quartz coil, strongly-bound complex cyanides break down into free cyanide,

which is separated from the sample matrix by distillation. Quartz is transparent to the full range of UV wavelengths, 200 to 400 nm and allows for the breakdown of the strong metal cyanide complexes as well as thiocyanate.

Acid Dissociable Cyanide - This test method basically determines free cyanides as CN and HCN, and weak

metal-cyano-complexes. By blocking UV-irradiation, acid dissociable cyanide complexes are broken down and determined.

Thiocyanate - The method to determine thiocyanate is performed as the previous total cyanide test, however

the quartz coil is replaced by a borosilicate coil. Borosilicate glass filters out a major portion of the UV irradiation and transmits only the wavelengths longer than 290 nm which at alkaline pH can break down all the strong cyanide complexes, but not thiocyanate. The thiocyanate is then determined by calculating the difference between the measurement that includes total cyanide plus thiocyanate and the value of total cyanide without thiocyanate: thiocyanate = [total CN+thiocyanate] – [total CN-thiocyanate].

For both ISO and EPA regulatory methods Skalar can now offer a fully automated system for determination of cyanide species.By automating the complete test procedure from sampling to result, including automated UV-digestion and distillation the sample throughput is increased significantly for cyanide analysis.

Further features:

Both ISO and EPA methods require little or no manual sample pre-treatment

The entire tests are performed on-line, 25-30 samples per hour

Kelada-01 method is licensed to be used only on the Skalar San++ analyzer

With the EPA approved Kelada-01 and the ISO14403 methods Skalar completes its range of total CN methodologies in accordance with international standardized regulations.

For more information please contact Skalar.

On behalf of all of Skalar, we would like to thank you for your visit to our booth at Pittcon 2009 at the McCormick Place, Chicago in the United States.

At Pittcon 2009 we have exhibited our complete range of automatic laboratory and on-line process analyzers for the environmental and industrial field. In addition, we have introduced our new BluVision Discrete Analyzer and also the EPA approved Skalar-Kelada method for total cyanide analysis.

For more information about this exhibition please follow Pittcon 2009

The BluVision^TM Discrete Analyzer provides a new concept for automating simple colorimetric analysis with the ability to handle a variety of sample types. It is specifically designed for commercial and municipal labs and all other laboratories that have a wide variety of sample types for analysis
Typical application fields for the BluVision^TM analyzer:

Features

The BluVisionTM analyzer is designed to perform colorimetric analysis for the environmental field, with optimal ratios of sample and reagent volumes to achieve lower detection limits with high accuracy. By increasing the path length of the disposable cuvettes, the system offers much lower detection limits and a broader linear range than any other current discrete analyzer.

The BluVisionTM analyzer is equipped with a unique LED light source avoiding the use of a moving fly wheel, thus reducing the number of mechanical moving parts and less maintenance.

A true "walk-away" system creates calibrations from stock solutions, diluted over-ranged samples and performs re-analysis, all in one run. The BluVision^TM is capable of running up to 14 different parameters at one time without any operator intervention.

Many environmental chemistries are available and all are in accordance to USEPA, Standard Methods, ASTM and ISO methodologies. Coupling all this technology together the BluVision^TM analyzer offers true flexibility that your lab requires from discrete analysis.

For more information please contact Skalar.

A global pharmaceutical company contacted Skalar with a request to automate the analysis of citrate in protein containing samples. The following reasons justified the automation of this typical application:

- Precise Standardization: automation will make the analytical procedure precisely standardized by removing human variables
- Higher Reproducibility: variation between results will be minimized
- Improved Quality Assurance: automation of analysis will improve the quality control of the production process by enabling more samples per batch to analyzed
- Higher Sample Throughput: automation will enable the laboratory to cope with the increased sample load coming from the production facilities
- Saving in Costs and Time

Skalar was selected for the project because of its flexibility and readiness to develop a tailor made analytical procedure.

In the original manual method the sample pre-treatment was laborious and time consuming.
Prior to the photometric determination the samples had to be de-proteinied by precipitation and centrifugation.
The whole manual procedure consisted of 13 steps which were reduced to only 1 single step by
adapting the whole analysis procedure on the Skalar San++ analyzer.

Tedious manual sample pre-treatment procedures such as precipitation and centrifugation as well as the photometric determination were completely automated using the Skalar San++ analyzer. Typical data can be found in figures 1 & 2 below.

Figure 1: Typical calibration curve

Figure 2: Reproducibility and MDL testing

The Skalar automated procedure not only saves time & costs, but the Skalar Continuous Flow Analysis technology makes it possible that all samples and standards are treated exactly the same way for exactly the same time. This results in a better reproducibility compared to the manual method where the timing can always slightly vary from sample to sample. Data transfer from the photometer to the computer and the subsequent evaluation is done automatically thus preventing any typing mistake. The whole system is compliant with the 21 CFR Part 11 of the US FDA.

The Skalar San++ continuous flow technology is a flexible technology to automate manual sample handling steps to automate colorimetric analysis. Prior to the automated photometrical procedure the samples can be e.g. automatically distilled, dialyzed, extracted, digested, extracted through columns for ion exchange or reduction.

Do you have a tedious analytical procedure that is required to be performed on a series of samples?

Contact us. We are confident that we can find a suitable automation solution for you.

For more information, please contact Skalar.

Skalar will be presenting the automated Beer and Malt Analyzer at 32nd International Congress of the European Brewery Convention 2009 in Hamburg from 10th to 14th May.

The Skalar San⁺⁺ Beer and Malt Analyzer is a modular system that can be configured to meet your requirements. A total of 16 parameters can be analyzed simultaneously. A typical San⁺⁺ Beer analyzer can hold applications for Bitterness, Total SO2, F.A.N.,β-Glucan, while the Malt Analyzer carries applications such as Diastatic Power, α-Amylase, Free Amino Nitrogen, β-Glucan and color.

For more information, visit our booth 47 at the EBC congress.

San++

Skalar Analytical thanks
Mr. Helmut Klein (Laboratory Manager at BRAU UNION ÖSTERREICH AG)
for his valuable contribution in this research project.

The production of beer includes several steps. One of these is the conversion of starch to fermentable sugars by enzymes. The source for the starch is commonly malted barley, although other sources can also be used. By analyzing the concentration of starch, one can determine if this process of converting starch to sugars is completed.

For many years the determination of Starch (Iodine reaction) is done manually, which is not only time-consuming but also sometimes sensitive to errors. In close cooperation with Mr. Helmut Klein, Laboratory Manager of the BRAU UNION ÖSTERREICH AG, Skalar has successfully automated this application on the San⁺⁺ Automatic Beer & Malt analyzer.

Skalar SAN++ Beer and Malt Analyzer
Figure 1: The Skalar Beer & Malt Analyzer

The method is based on the precipitation of dextrins and starch by addition of ethanol. After centrifugation the precipitate is dissolved in a buffer. Then a iodine solution is added which reacts with the dextrins and starch. The released iodine is colorimetrically measured at 580 nm. The calibration and stability tests show the suitability of this automation to analyze Starch.

Figure 2: Calibration and Reproducibility

Typical data of the method can be found in table 1:

TABLE 1: TYPICAL PERFORMANCE FOR STARCH ANALYSIS
Typical Range	0.13 - 2.60 Extinction 0.00025 - 0.005 % Starch
Linearity	0.99998
Reproducibility (CV)	< 1%
Method Detection Limit	< 0.00005 % (1% of maximum range)

In addition the automated method was compared to the manual method (MEBAK 2.3.2 "Photometrische Jodprobe") with real-life samples.

Figure 4: Correlation of the automated and manual method

TABLE 2: SAMPLE COMPARISON
	SKALAR San⁺⁺ Extinction	MANUAL Extinction
Beer A	0,29	0.32
Beer B	0,59	0.52
Beer C	0,86	0.54
Beer D	0,81	0.64
Beer E	1,45	1.02
Beer F	1,12	0.72
Beer G	1,56	1.06
Beer H	1,64	1.08
Beer I	1,02	0.68
Beer J	1,03	0.68

The good correlation between the new Skalar automated procedure and the standard MEBAK method as shown in table 2 and figure 4, proves that the automated method of the Starch determination using the Skalar San⁺⁺ Beer and Malt analyzer can fully replace the laborious MEBAK method.

In addition to the well-known applications that are already automated on the Skalar San⁺⁺ analyzer such as Bitterness, B-Glucan, Diacetyl, Total SO₂, Free Amino Nitrogen, Skalar now adds the Starch application to its range of applications for the beer and malting industry.

If you require more information, do not hesitate to contact us.

This article in Russian

Skalar Analytical thanks
Mrs. Natalya Mishina, Research Scientist of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI), Murmansk, Russia
for her contribution in writing this article.

When studying the composition of sea water, the researchers may encounter several problems related not only to the short life time of preserved samples but also to the specific features of the analytical methods. Regardless of having the choice of several methods of the sample preservation, the analysis of biogenic elements has to be performed as soon as possible after the sampling.

In this context the determination of the hydro-chemical parameters is usually performed on-board during the expedition. Generally, the analytical methods employed did not require any complicated equipment but were time-consuming and labor-intensive, which was strongly limiting the number of samples analyzed per day.

With the new generation of Skalar San⁺⁺ Continuous Flow Analyzers the researchers got the tools to solve these problems and provide a solution for the analysis of phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, dissolved organic carbon, silicate and many others. In 2007 the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI) acquired and tested Skalar’s San⁺⁺ analyzer in the on-board laboratory of the research vessel "Dalnye Zelenci" during the expedition on the Barents Sea. In spite of the fact that the analyzer was mostly used by MMBI in their stationary lab on shore, the first attempt to exploit it in the conditions of an expedition was successful. During the sailing the extended complex of hydro-chemical research was performed. Very interesting results could be collected in the unexplored area north of the 80° northern latitude close to the Franz Josef archipelago.

Even on heavy sea the Skalar San⁺⁺ Analyzers worked very stable. The influence of the vessels vibrations on the analyzers baseline and peaks was negligible. The calibrations made on board did not differ from the calibrations made in the land laboratory. Because of the high degree of automation, the time needed for the sample treatment was much shorter than for manual methods.

The use of the automatic analyzer in the on-board laboratory, facilitates the work of the hydro-chemist on high sea and allows him to obtain results which were more difficult to get in the past. The analyzer is planned to be employed for scientific and research tasks in the coming marine expeditions. More information on MMBI and its research is available on http://www.mmbi.info/ .

Similar experiences have been reported by the researchers on the oceanographic vessel “Samiento de Gambo” of the Department of Research and Technological Innovation (RTI) in Vigo, Spain. RTI is a research department of the UTM (Marine Technology Unit) and is oriented to obtain new technologies in the field of Marine Sciences.

The aim of RTI is to promote technological innovation in instrumentation, acquisition systems and signal processing methods in Marine Sciences, to foster advance in knowledge of the oceans by supporting the formation of young marine scientists, engineers and technicians and to offer support-service to the scientific community in processing marine data. More information on their research can be found on http://www.utm.csic.es

For more information, do not hesitate to contact us.

We are looking back at a successful and enjoyable "Analytica 2008" exhibition, which was held from April 1^st to 4^th at the "Messe MÃ¼nchen International" in Munich - Germany. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has visited our booth and we are looking forward to seeing you again in the near future.

We have exhibited our complete range of automatic laboratory and on-line process analyzers for the environmental and industrial field. We are happy to see that we have had positive feedback on our new model Formacs^HT TOC/TN Analyzer and our new "mid-size"SP50 Robotic Analyzer, which were introduced during the exhibition.

Formacs HT TOC/TN Analyzer The Formacs^HT TOC/TN analyzer can be operated as a stand-alone analyzer or for larger sample numbers with an optional random access auto-sampler for complete automation of the TOC and TN determination.

Based on Skalar's successful Robotic Analyzers platform, Skalar has extended the line of Robotic Analyzers with the new Skalar SP50 Robotic Analyzer for laboratories running medium to high sample numbers each day. Besides the automation of BOD, a variety of other applications can be automated on the SP50 Robotic Analyzer such as pH, EC, Turbidity, Color, ISE, alkalinity and others.

The SAN⁺⁺Continuous Flow Analyzer provides complete automation for basic colorimetric applications and complex parameters such as Phenol, Total Cyanide, Total N &P including automatic sample pretreatment steps such as distillation and digestion.

The Primacs^SERIES High Temperature Combustion Analyzers for accurate and reliable determination of Carbon and Nitrogen in a wide variety of samples such as food, soil, plant, grains and others. They have been designed to meet all laboratory requirements and international regulations.

The FluoImager is a unique tool for fast and non-destructive analysis for compounds such as Oils & Fuels, PAHâ€™s, Phenols and Biological pigments in water. The sample is analyzed without the need for extensive sample pretreatment procedures and the result is provided within approximately 3 minutes.

The ToxTracer provides a quick screening method for detecting toxicants in aqueous samples based on the inhibitory effect of toxic compounds on the light emission of bacteria.

For accurate monitoring of various processes and sample streams, Skalar has designed the SA9000 and OPA2000 On-Line Process Ananlyzers, operating in either continuous mode or in batch mode. A range of applications can be offered such as a variety of nutrients as well as complex Total Cyanide, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus.

For more information on "Analytica 2008" please follow http://www.analytica.de/

If you require more information do not hesitate to contact us

On behalf of all of us, we would like to thank you for your for your visit to our booth at "PittCon 2008" at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans in the United States.

At "PittCon 2008" we have exhibited our complete range of automatic laboratory and on-line process analyzers for the environmental and industrial field. In addition, we have Furthermore introduced our new model Formacs^HT TOC/TN Analyzer and the new "mid-size" SP50 Robotic Analyzer.

The new model Formacs^HT TOC/TN analyzer can be operated as a stand-alone analyzer or for larger sample numbers with an optional random access auto-sampler for complete automation of the TOC and TN determination.

Based on Skalarâ€™s successful Robotic Analyzers platform, Skalar has extended the line of Robotic Analyzers with the new Skalar SP50 Robotic Analyzer for laboratories running medium to high sample numbers each day. Besides the automation of BOD, a variety of other applications can be automated on the SP50 Robotic Analyzer such as pH, EC, Turbidity, Color, ISE, alkalinity and others.

For more information on "PittCon 2008" please follow http://www.pittcon.org/index.html.

Skalar will be presenting the automated wine analyzer at the Unified
Wine and Grape Symposium at the Sacramento Convention Center (located in
Sacramento, California USA) on January 28 and 29.

The Wine Analyzer automates complex wet chemistry testing such as Total SO2, Free SO2, Volatile Acids, Reducing Sugars, and Malic Acids (to name a few). No sample preparation is needed and the analyzer performs all distillations/digestions without operator intervention. All wine parameters can be analyzed within 2 minutes a sample, thus making the analyzer an ideal tool for large capacity or high sample load facilities.

Wine Analyzer

Total Phosphate and Total Nitrogen are commonly analyzed in environmental laboratories. The manual analysis procedures for these parameters are very time consuming, for which reason Skalar developed an automatic analyser for TP & TN with automatic in-line digestion. The Skalar San⁺⁺ analyzer for TP & TN analysis offers high accuracy results and a significant time saving due to the fully automatic analysis procedure.

The San⁺⁺ Total Nitrogen & Total Phosphate analyser uses the well-known continuous flow analysis (CFA) principle, which is based on international standard regulations such as ISO.

The Total Phosphate and Total Nitrogen analysis includes in-line digestion and is suitable for all types of water such as drinking or other clean water samples, seawater, ground water, surface water, wastewater. Water samples containing particulate matter can be directly analyzed, due to the digestion being a combination of UV-light with high temperature (110 ºC) under increased pressure.

The efficiency of the automatic in-line digestion for both Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphate is well within the pre-defined acceptance criteria of the ISO standard regulation, as illustrated in the tables below. QC standards were used in accordance with the ISO standard regulations and some other recovery standards used by different laboratories. The compounds mentioned are analyzed at 50% and 100% of the total range and the recovery criteria are +/- 5%.

Comparison on real-world samples gives an excellent correlation with the manual methods as illustrated in the graphs below.

For homogeneous sample pick-up, the autosampler of the San⁺⁺ analyzer can be equipped with a sample-mixing device. For automatic post-dilution of overrange samples, the autosampler can be extended with an automatic built-in diluter, which can also be used for automatic standard preparation and pre-dilutions saving a significant amount of manual dilution work.

Due to the ease of use, unattended operation and automatic digestion, a considerable decrease in sample turn-around time of the laboratory is established. The capacity of the analyzer can be even more increased by the optional auto start-up and shutdown feature, which allows the analyzer to run unattended during the night.

The flexible concept of the San⁺⁺ analyzer allows simultaneous analysis for Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphate and can be combined with a range of other parameters such as Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, O-Phosphate and many more.

The Skalar San⁺⁺ analyzer offers high accuracy results and high sample throughput resulting in an economical solution for small sample sizes as well as for busy laboratories with hundreds of samples a day.

Skalar now has opened a new regional support center with laboratory in Chennai, India. The laboratory is used as a training, application and testing facility and is dedicated to the support of the fast increasing amount of Skalar users in India and neighboring countries. The new laboratory will allow Skalar to work more closely with local customers by providing stronger technical support to existing and prospective customers. It allows Skalar to conduct demonstrations, several practical courses and training sessions. Also the application specialists will help and develop analytical methods on the Skalar range of analyzers to provide tailor made solutions based on customer requirements. After more than 25 years of marketing its analyzers in this region, Skalar's goal with this commitment is to enhance the quality and standards that the laboratories have to achieve in this part of the fast developing competitive Asia pacific region.

For many years Skalar has provided a wide range of automation concepts and solutions in wet-chemistry automation. In many laboratories, sample numbers are increasing and therefore the demand to run large sample batches is steadily growing. To facilitate this requirement for large sample batches, Skalar is pleased to introduce its new SA1075 autosampler as the latest addition to Skalarâ€™s range of automatic wet chemistry analyzers.

This new auto sampler carries up to 540 samples, divided over 9 racks of 60 samples each. In addition there are 26 positions is available in a separate tray for QC samples, working standards or drift control samples. These positions can hold up to 35 ml each. The SA1075 can be equipped with a total of 4 sample needles to allow the simultaneous analysis of samples with different matrices or with different sample pretreatment procedures. In this case, up to three rinsing valves can be integrated to supply different rinsing liquids to the chemistry manifolds to eliminate matrix interferences.

An auto-dilution station is also available, allowing the automatic dilution of samples before as well as after the analysis (pre and post dilutions). Furthermore, with the dilution station the working standards can be prepared automatically.

In case you need to integrate sample vials with specific dimensions, the SA1075 can be fully customized to fit your sample vials and sample racks.

Features:

Up to 540 samples, divided over 9 racks of 60 samples each
Up to 26 positions for QC Samples (Working Standards, Drift Control Standards etc...)
Integrated auto-dilution station
Up to four needles
Up to three independent rinsing liquid supplies
2 Built-in rinsing pumps
Optional sample mixing devices
Customized sample racks and sample vials

For many laboratories the analysis of Total Cyanides is one of the most complex and labor intensive applications. Due to Skalarâ€™s continuing research and development on automating manual wet-chemistry procedures, a wide range of solutions for Cyanide analysis is currently available from Skalar.

The automation of Total Cyanide with in-line UV digestion, in-line distillation and colorimetric measurement according ISO 14403 and EPA 335.3 is successfully serving many laboratories worldwide. Recently Skalar has implemented the method for analyzing Available Cyanide according EPA-1677 with amperometric detection and now Skalar has also implemented the method for analyzing Free and Total Cyanide with gasdiffusion and amperometric detection according ISO 14403 ANNEX B.

San++ Automated Wet Chemistry Analyzer

Integrated Amperometrical Detector

Complex bound cyanide is decomposed by exposure to UV light in an acidic environment. The sample is transported to the dialyzer and acidified to form free cyanide which diffuses through a membrane into an alkaline recipient stream. The free cyanide in the recipient stream is measured amperometrically with a silver working electrode and silver/silver chloride reference electrode.

The analytical range of the method is 1 - 700 Âµg/L and has a correlation of 0.99983.

The performance on recovery is checked using the ISO 14403 regulation: "Water quality - Determination of total cyanide and free cyanide by continuous flow analysis". In this regulation several performance checks are listed to test the recovery on complex bound cyanides. The results on these recovery checks can be found in the table below.

Compound	Standard (ppb)	Result (ppb)	Recovery (%)	Recovery acc. ISO (%)
K₃[Fe(CN)₆]	100	100.26	100.26	> 90%
K₃[Fe(CN)₆]	100	99.72	99.72	> 90%
K₃[Fe(CN)₆]	100	99.88	99.88	> 90%

By adding this latest Total and Free Cyanide application based on amperometric detection Skalar now offers a complete set of certified and ISO-EPA recognized solutions for Total, Free, Available Cyanide, Weak Acid Dissociable Cyanide and Thiocyanate analysis.

If you require more information regarding the analysis of cyanide, do not hesitate to contact us.

biological activities in marine environments

Ammonia plays a significant role in biological activities in marine environments and is frequently analyzed by many laboratories and marine institutes worldwide. For many years Skalar successfully automates the ammonia method according the ISO and EPA directives, allowing the measurement of ppb levels of ammonia.

Specifically for the analysis of ammonia in seawater, Skalar is pleased to introduce a newly developed method based on fluorimetric detection. This method is becoming more and more accepted and is particularly interesting because of its simplicity. Also fewer reagents are required and furthermore there is no compromise on detection limits. The newly developed method is based upon the reaction of ammonia with ortho-phtaldialdehyde (OPA) and sulfite, which produces an intense fluorescent product. This is measured by a fluorimeter with an excitation wavelength of 370 nm and an emission wavelength range of 418-700 nm.

San++ Automated Wet Chemistry Analyzer

Skalar has successfully integrated this new ammonia method in the SAN⁺⁺ analyzer in combination with the sensitive Skalar SA6310 Fluorimeter. The typical analysis range is 1- 100 ppb Ammonia with detection limits in the sub ppb levels.

Below you can find the real-time view and calibration curve of the fluorimetric ammonia method in the range up to 100 ppb.

Real-time view of the fluorimetric ammonia method Calibration curve of the fluorimetric ammonia method

The flexibility of the SAN⁺⁺ analyzer and Skalar's vast knowledge and experience in automatic wet-chemistry analysis, provide all our customers worldwide reliable and accurate automation solutions for a variety of applications.

If you require more information on the automation of Ammonia method or other Skalar methods, do not hesitate to contact us.

We are pleased to announce that Skalar will attend â€œJAIMA 2007â€ scheduled for the 29th - 31st of August at the Makuhari Messe (Nippon Convention Center) in Makuhari, Japan.

At â€œJAIMA 2007â€ we will exhibit our range of automatic laboratory and on-line process analyzers for the environmental field (water, waste water, surface water, seawater etc.), the petro-chemical industry, soil & plant applications, pharmaceutical, food & beverage industry and many others.

Automation concepts are to be presented for:

Water:	Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), TOC, Nitrate, Phosphate, Ammonia, Sulfate, Toxicity, Surfactants, pH, Conductivity, Chlorophyll, Oil-in-Water, Total Cyanide, Total Phenol and many others.
Beer and Malt:	B-glucan, Free Amino Nitrogen, Diacetyl, Total SO2, Bitterness, Diastatic Power, Alfa Amylase and many others.
Soil, Plant and Fertilizer:	Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Potassium, Nitrate, Ammonia, Urea and many others.

Please visit our booth 703, Hall 4 (Technis/Skalar booth) and we will be pleased to present our latest developments in the field of laboratory and on-line analysis automation.
For more information please contact Skalar. For more information on "JAIMA 2007" you can follow this link www.jaima.or.jp

If you require more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The analysis of Carbon and Nitrogen is important in soil, plant, animal feed, food samples, sediments and sludge samples. The Skalar Primacs^SNC Analyzer combines the analysis of Total Carbon and Total Nitrogen in one unit using high temperature catalytic combustion.

Operating Principle

Flow diagram of the Primacs SNC

The samples are introduced into the high temperature combustion oven by the unique vertical â€œbottom-to-topâ€ sample introduction system. At 1050Â°C the carbon is completely oxidized to CO₂ in the presence of a catalyst. The CO₂ is measured by Non Dispersive Infra Red Detection (NDIR) for Total Carbon. The analysis of Nitrogen is based upon the well-proven DUMAS technology. Nitrogen is converted in NxOy which is reduced at 600 Â°C to N₂. The N₂ gas is measured by Thermal Conductivity Detection (TCD). The software displays the carbon and nitrogen peaks simultaneously in real-time and the results can easily be printed or exported to a LIMS system.

Whenever priority samples have to be analyzed, the work list can be extended during the run. The sample is weighed into a re-usable quartz crucible and the sample weight is automatically transferred to the work list in the software, which avoids transcription errors.

The Primacs^SNC Analyzer provides an accurate and reliable solution for the automation of Total Carbon and Total Nitrogen analysis and has been designed as an easy-to-use and low maintenance analyzer. Due to the unique vertical â€œbottom-to-topâ€ sample introduction the sample ashes remain in the crucible after analysis and are taken out of the instrument with the removal of the crucible. This avoids sample ash build-up in the combustion zone and therefore reduces the maintenance requirements of the instrument. The re-usable crucibles and the low consumption of combustion and carrier gas result in a low cost-per-test.

The Primacs^SNC complies with international regulations such as CEN, ISO 10694 and NEN-EN 131137, AOAC 990.03, AOAC 992.15, AACC 46-30, ASBC and many more.

Typical Applications:

Soil and Plant
Sludges and Sediments
Food
Waste Incinerators
Waste water plants
And many more

If you require more information on the Skalar Primacs^SNC, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis is demanded by both the US Pharmacopeia (USP) and the European Pharmacopeia (EP) for testing Purified Water, Water for Injection (WFI) and cleaning validation samples.

TOC analysis an acceptable cleaning validation method

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also considers TOC analysis as an acceptable cleaning validation method. Many pharmaceutical companies have adopted TOC over other traditional methods, due to the ease-of-use, accuracy in analyzing residues of organic contaminants, faster response times and cost-efficiency.

Skalar has automated the analysis of TOC according to the USP (Rev. 26, method <643>) and EP (method 2.2.44) on the SAN⁺⁺ Automatic Wet-Chemistry Analyzer.

The SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer consists of an auto sampler for automatic sampling, a TOC chemistry unit based on UV-persulphate digestion, Infra Red (IR) detection and data handling.

The water samples are offered to the SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer by the Skalar SA1074 auto sampler. To avoid any contamination from the lab environment, the samples are being analyzed from certified EPA/VOA TOC vials.

After sampling the inorganic carbon is first removed from the sample by acidification. The sample is then mixed with a potassium persulphate reagent and introduced into a quartz coil which is radiated by UV light. The organic carbon in the sample is converted to carbonate. After acidification and sparging, the TOC is measured as carbon dioxide (CO2) by non-dispersive infra red detection.
In this configuration the SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer performs according USP/EP requirements, which is illustrated in the table below.

Performance according USP/EP requirements

The Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer can furthermore be equipped with additional cartridges to analyze a wide range of complementary parameters, which increases the versatility and flexibility for the pharmaceutical industry. An example configuration is shown in the figure below.

The easy-to-use FlowAccess^Â® software controlling the SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer is fully compliant with the requirements of pharmaceutical laboratories such as data security according to FDA 21 CFR part 11, standard operating procedures (SOP) and IQ/OQ/PQ validation protocols.

If you require more information on the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer for TOC analysis in the pharmaceutical industry, please do not hesitate to contact us.

NPK (Nitrate, Ammonia, Phosphorus, Potassium) , Urea and Total Nitrogen

Due to the high prices of raw materials for fertilizer production, precision and accuracy is essential in the production process of fertilizer. Accurate analyses allow the fertilizer manufacturer to fine-tune his production process and saving costs on raw materials. The automation of fertilizer analysis on the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ analyzer offers high accuracy results and consequently a significant decrease of the production costs.

The SAN⁺⁺ Fertilizer Analyzer is based upon automatic wet-chemistry analysis. A wide variety of applications can be integrated. The well-proven analytical methods are based upon international standards such as AOAC. The flexible concept of the SAN⁺⁺ analyzer allows the simultaneous analysis of several parameters out of one sample. Typical parameters are Ammonia, Nitrate, Phosphorus, Potassium, Urea, Total Nitrogen and many more.

SAN++ Fertilizer Analyzer

The SAN⁺⁺ Fertilizer Analyzer has a robust design fitting perfectly in a fertilizer production environment. A range of random access auto samplers is available for the analysis of 40 up to 300 samples per batch, which covers the requirements of laboratories with smaller as well as larger sample numbers. The highly sensitive digital detectors use the bubble-through flowcell principle which provides high sample throughput and short sample turn-around times.

During the analysis, the results of all parameters are simultaneously displayed, including calibration curves and statistical evaluations. After calibration the analyzer can be set to "standby". As soon as (priority) samples arrive at the laboratory, they can be analyzed immediately. At all times the results can be accessed during the run and forwarded to production to guarantee optimum quality control on the fertilizer production process.

To be able to balance the use of raw materials in the fertilizer production process the accuracy and precision of the analytical results is very important, as this allows precise dosing of the raw materials without making concessions towards the quality of the final product. Above-mentioned table shows the reproducibility data obtained with the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Fertilizer Analyzer which illustrates a high precision and accuracy. In practice, a 0.2 % improvement on the relative standard deviation can save up to hundreds of thousands US$ per year in production costs and in some cases even over a million. These cost savings can be obtained by implementation of the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ analyzer in the fertilizer production process.

High accuracy, high sample throughput and fast turn-around times are keywords in fertilizer analysis. The flexible and reliable concept of the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Fertilizer Analyzer offers the perfect solution to achieve these goals. In combination with a high degree of automation, the analyzer provides economical solutions for small sample sizes as well as for busy laboratories which require analysis 24 hours a day.

If you require more information on the possibilities of fertilizer analysis, do not hesitate to contact us.

SP50 Robotic Analyzer

pH, Conductivity (EC) and Alkalinity are commonly analyzed in drinking water and water treatment processes. The availability and solubility of nutrients and elements are influenced by the pH, whereas the conductivity is used to determine the mineralization of the sample. Alkalinity (carbonate-bicarbonate titration) is related to the buffering capacity of the sample.

Clean drinking water

The pH/EC/Alkalinity measurements are used in the interpretation and control of water treatment processes.

Also for rain water and irrigation water, the pH â€“ EC â€“ Alkalinity combination is analyzed to provide the information to establish a nutrition program for plants and to control the growth.

Tray

Skalar has automated the simultaneous measurement of these parameters with the SP50 robotic analyzer. In its standard configuration a total number of 84 samples can be analyzed per batch, divided over three racks of 28 samples each. Each beaker contains up to 100 ml of sample. By customizing the sample racks, specific beakers of different dimensions can be integrated, allowing the laboratory to use their own standard beakers.

The operation of the SP50 Robotic analyzer is based upon the well proven Skalar Robotic XYZ mechanism.

The SP50 analyzer for pH, EC and Alkalinity carries two separate probes, 1 for EC and 1 for pH/alkalinity. To avoid contamination of the sample, first the EC is analyzed, separated from the pH measurement. After the EC analysis of the sample, the second probe (pH) moves into this sample and simultaneously the EC probe moves to the next sample.

When the pH has been determined, the sample beaker is drained until an exact known amount of sample remains in the sample beaker. The remaining part of the sample is titrated with 0.1 N HCl for the measurement of alkalinity. The titration process is monitored by the pH electrode. When the endpoint of the titration is reached, the alkalinity is calculated by the software.

The SP50 Robotic Analyzer is controlled by the Skalar Robotic Analyzer software. The software has been designed to meet the requirements of all laboratories and allows the operator to select the required application. Regarding the pH/EC/Alkalinity application, the operator can choose whether the analysis of all three parameters is required or only one or two of the three parameters are required for his specific sample batch. To prevent unauthorized operation and data modification the software requires an access code and password to access. Three different access levels are available. Tables can be created using a spreadsheet, with an optional barcode reader or imported from a LIMS system. During the run, the sample table can be extended by simply adding samples and even racks to the analysis. After the run, the data can be exported to LIMS systems and/or Excel.

The robust SP50 analyzers automate the analysis of large batches of samples and are equipped with automatic start and stop functions to allow reliable overnight unattended operation.

In addition to the automation of pH, EC and Alkalinity, the SP50 can also be used to automate BOD, Color, Turbidity and many more.

If you require more information about the pH-EC-Alkalinity automation or the other possibilities of the SP50 analyzer, do not hesitate to contact us.

Fluo-Imager M53B

The Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B is frequently used for the in vivo measurement of photosynthetic pigments. The fluorescence technique is an extremely sensitive method. The analysis is done within minutes and no sample pretreatment is required. By scanning the sample at excitation and emission wavelengths, a three dimensional fingerprint, the Spectral Fluorescent Signatures (SFS), is obtained. Each photosynthetic pigment has its typical SFS and this allows the identification of the main groups of phytoplankton species based on pigment composition. Furthermore an alarm level to warn for an upcoming bloom can be established.

Quantification of phytoplankton is generally achieved through the correlation of the in vivo fluorescence data with the isolated photosynthetic pigment values. As the environmental conditions and the composition of species differ in time and space, sometimes a tailor-made (re)calibration is required. To increase the ease-of-use of the Fluo-Imager, Skalar offers now an extended catalogue, making identification and calibration less laborious for our users.

The catalogues are grouped as follows:

A non-calibrated catalogue for qualitative analysis. It contains the photosynthetic pigments
of living cells: chlorophylls a, b and c, carotene, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin.
Fig 1. Non-calibrated in vivo catalogue showing the characteristic sfsâ€™s of chlorophyll a, b and c, phycoeryhtrin and phycocyanin respectively. Not shown: carotenoids.
This in vivo catalogue enables the rapid identification of the main groups of phytoplankton groups and reduces the need for microscopically examination. This is especially important for the diagnosis of cyanobacteria.
A catalogue containing calibration curves of the pure compounds of chlorophyll a, b and c in acetone for in vitro analysis. The benefit of this new catalogue is that the customer does not have to buy the expensive pigments or to prepare the extractions for making the calibration curves. The concentration of pigments in the extracted samples is directly measured using the calibrated catalogue. By combining these concentration values to the in vivo fluorescence values, a calibrated in vivo catalogue is rapidly created.
A catalogue for phycocyanin and phycoerythrine in water prepared from pure compounds. This catalogue is used for the in vivo measurement.
Live catalogues of some representative species: Chlamydomonas (green algae, chlorophyll a and b), Rhodomonas (chlorophyll a and c, phycoerythrin), Prymnesium (Golden brown, chlorophyll a, c and carotene). The live catalogues are useful when a single species of the representative groups dominate the population. Each single catalogue is calibrated for the pigments present.
Fig 2.
Chlamydomas Rhodomonas Prymnesium

The addition of calibrated catalogues for the Fluo-Imager has made the concept much easier. A unique ready-to-use analyzer is offered, without the requirement of sample pretreatment and with the reduction of extensive calibration procedures.

If you require more information regarding the Fluo-Imager, do not hesitate to contact us.

The analysis of Carbon is one of the most important parameters analyzed in soil & plant, sediment, sludge, and many others. The Skalar Primacs^ATC Analyzer allows fast and accurate analysis of Total Carbon by high temperature catalytic combustion.

Primacs ATC Total Carbon Analyzer

Operating Principle

The samples are weighed into re-usable quartz crucibles and loaded onto the integrated auto sampler. The analytical balance is interfaced with the software, which allows sample weights to be transferred automatically to the work list by a simple mouse click.

Flow diagram of the Primacs ATC The unique vertical "bottom-to-top" sample introduction system lifts the samples into the high temperature combustion oven. At 1050Â°C the samples are oxidized and the carbon in the sample is converted into CO₂. The CO₂ is measured by Near Infra Red Detection (NDIR). The software displays the peaks in real-time and the results can easily be printed or exported to a LIMS system. After complete combustion, the sample crucible is automatically removed from the oven. Any remains of the sample are removed from the combustion zone with the crucible, so no ash build-up will occur which reduces maintenance on the instrument.
The combination of a high temperature combustion oven with a sensitive dual-range Infrared detector allows the Primacs^ATC to analyze samples containing carbon concentrations from low ppm levels to % levels.

Analyzing both solid and liquid samples The Primacs^ATC can also be used to analyze liquid samples. A three step water-removal assures complete removal of condensate which allows liquid, sediment and sludge samples to be analyzed accurately. This makes the Primacs^ATC the perfect tool to automate a variety of analysis on a wide application range of solid and liquid samples. The high degree of automation assures an increased accuracy and considerable cost saving.

The Primacs^ATC complies with international regulations such as ISO 10694, EN 13137 and EN 13639.

Typical applications

Soil, plant and fertilizer samples
Waste incinerators
Sludges and sediments
Waste water plants
Cement industry
Mining industry
Strong acids and alkaline solutions

If you require more information regarding the Primacs^ATC, do not hesitate to contact us.

SAN++ SA1150a sampler To increase the flexibility to our customers, Skalar Analytical has designed a new sampler for the SAN++ Continuous Flow Analyzers. The sampler offers an increased convenience and additional features for small to medium sized sample batches. The sampler is Random Access, as are all other existing Skalar samplers, which allows users to freely define sample positions and sampling order. When priority samples need to be analyzed, they can easily be inserted into the work list. During operation, status indication of the sampler is provided by LED indication. The end of the analysis is indicated by audiovisual alarms.

The auto-sampler has a standard capacity of 50 sampling positions. The capacity can be extended to 100 sampling positions. an optional cup plate of 80 sampling positions and 10 separate standard positions can be used when separate larger capacity standard positions are preferred.

Manual Control

SA1100 In addition to the SA1100 sampler, Skalar designed the SA1150 Random Access auto-sampler. This auto-sampler has a similar configuration to the SA1100 sampler but can be controlled by the software and manually by an integrated soft keypad. The settings of sampling time, wash time and airtime can be manually defined with up to 4 digits displayed on the integrated LCD

If you require more information, do not hesitate to contact us.

For many years Skalar provides a complete solution for Total Cyanide analysis according ISO and EPA regulations. This includes in-line digestion and distillation. Recently Skalar has integrated the method to analyze Available Cyanide in water and waste water according to the EPA 1677 with amperometric detection.

Integrated Amperometrical Detector

The samples are treated with a ligand exchange solution to liberate available cyanide, where after they are introduced to the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Automated Wet-Chemistry Analyzer. On the analyzer, the sample is automatically acidified. The formed HCN diffuses through a membrane into an alkaline recipient stream where it is converted back into the cyanide ion. The cyanide ion is measured amperometrically.

The method has been calibrated up to 500 Âµg/L and has correlation of 0.99992. The typical MDL is 0.5 Âµg/L.

If you require more information regarding the analysis of cyanide, do not hesitate to contact us.

For many years the Skalar Robotic Analyzers are used in environmental laboratories to automate a variety of applications such as BOD, COD, pH, Conductivity, alkalinity, ISE and others. The concept of the Skalar SP10, SP100 and SP1000 Robotic Analyzers has proven to be a reliable and accurate â€œworkhorseâ€ in day-to-day operation. Based on this successful concept, Skalar has now extended the line of Robotic Analyzers with the Skalar SP50 Analyzer for laboratories running medium to high sample numbers each day.

For the BOD application the SP50 Robotic Analyzer accommodates 54 bottles, divided over 3 separate racks of 18 bottles each. The SP50 offers a complete â€œwalk-awayâ€ automated BOD concept, including automatic addition of dilution water to the BOD bottles and automatic addition of nitrification inhibitor (ATU). Furthermore the SP50 analyzer can also be equipped with a second oxygen probe for increased sample throughput by analyzing two samples simultaneously.

The software of the SP50 Robotic Analyzer has a modular structure allowing customer specific method definitions and adaptations in case required. Furthermore the automated BOD concept on the SP50 analyzer is in compliance with all (inter)national regulations such as EN1899-1/2, Standard Methods 5210B, DIN 38 409 etc. as well as customer specific methods.

Besides the automation of BOD, a variety of other applications can be automated on the SP50 Robotic Analyzer such as pH, EC, Turbidity, Color, ISE, alkalinity and others. The SP50 completes the Skalar line of Robotic Analyzers, which offers our customers now a choice of flexible automation solutions for BOD and other parameters.

For more information on the Skalar Robotic Analyzers or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV.

In Europe, the determination of the clay fraction or â€œLUTUMâ€ (Method of Robinson-KÃ¶hn, ISO11277) is used to characterize soil for construction works or to determine the capacity of soil to transport pollution.

The analysis to determine the clay fraction is carried-out in 5 steps:

Weighing the sample
Removal of Organic Matter
Removal of Carbonates
Transferring a portion of the sample into a 1000 ml measuring cylinder
Determination of the clay fraction

The last step in this process, the determination of the clay fraction, consists of the addition of 50 ml sodium pyrophosphate to the sample. After this, the cylinder is made-up to volume (1000 ml) with dilution water and the sample is stirred. Then the sample is allowed to settle for several hours. The different soil fractions will settle at different speeds, i.e small stones and sand will settle faster then clay. This settling time is usually between 4 and 8 hours, so transferring a fraction will generally happen outside working hours. At a specific time and depth in the cylinder during the settling-process, a portion of the sample is taken and transferred into an evaporation dish. The water is evaporated and the remaining soil fraction is the clay fraction of the original soil sample.

This procedure is very labor-intensive and lengthy, especially since the settling time of the sample has to be very accurate. Therefore timing in this manual procedure is very critical, which makes it rather complex and time-consuming.

Skalar has developed a concept to automate the determination of the clay fraction with the SP1000 Robotic Analyzer. This provides a walk-away solution and includes the automation of the addition of sodium pyrophosphate, dilution water, transfer of a small portion of the sample and heating. Controlled by the WindowsTM based software, all actions are programmed to be carried out at accurate time intervals, which can be pre-set. Not only the clay fraction can be determined, but also other fractions (16 Âµm or 32 Âµm) can be measured. This once again shows the flexibility, which can be offered on the SP1000 unit.

If you require more information about the automation of Clay Fraction analysis with the Skalar SP1000 Robotic Analyzer or if you want to know if your analytical procedure can be automated, please contact Skalar.

For more information on the Skalar Robotic Analyzers or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been shown to be one of the most important factors controlling the bioavailability of organic contaminants in freshwaters. Some DOC molecules have a recognizable chemical structure that can easily be defined. However most have no readily identifiable structure and are merged under the term protein-like, humic or tryptophan-like substances.

In marine and freshwater systems, fluorescence spectroscopy has been applied to observe and characterize DOM. As fluorescence instrumentation improved, the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) technique was established which provides more detailed information about the fluorescence properties of DOM.

The UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Magdeburg, Germany has implemented the Skalar FluoImager for their research, allowing the analysis of low sample volumes (< 3 ml) within a short analysis time (2 minutes). Compared to other more time-consuming spectroscopic methods like FTIR (extensive sample preparation) or C13-NMR, EEM â€“fluorescence provides quick analytical results.

UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Magdeburg, Germany

EEM was analyzed by the FluoImager to provide information about the relation of protein-like fluorescence to humic-like fluorescence in pore-water as a function of sediment depth.

	Protein-like	Humic-like
Peak	BT, SR	A, M, Aâ€™, C

The two EEM scans, which are obtained from samples taken at different depths, show different intensities for the Protein-like and Humic-like DOM peaks present in the sample. By using this information, a correlation between different DOM can be established which is required for the evaluation of a lake-remediation experiment.

Skalar FluoImager

For more information on the Skalar FluoImager or on the research project of UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Magdeburg, Germany, please contact us.

The research project will also be presented at the Achema 2006 in Frankfurt, Germany on May 18^th at 15.30 in the auditorium â€œFantasie 1 CMFâ€.

For more information on the Skalar Analyzers or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

A common issue with on-line water monitoring optical systems is the long term drifting of the signal due to deposits created in the flow cell. Many diverse cleaning procedures were developed by the producers of on-line process photometers to suppress this phenomenon, for instance by ultra-sonic cleaning or cleaning with compressed air. Both approaches however didnâ€™t perform perfectly in the removal of sample specific deposits from the flow cell and cannot be used for low absorption measurements.

Skalar recently introduced its new On-line Photometer with automated mechanical flow cell cleaning at the Austrian company Lenzing AG, world leader in cellulose fiber production. The new On-line Photometer with automated mechanical flow cell cleaning is very efficient for the removal of deposits from the flow cell and shows excellent stability in handling low absorption values.

Lenzing AG is paying a great attention to the protection of the environment. The companyâ€™s waste water treatment plant is monitoring itâ€™s effluent for many parameters to prevent any pollution of the bypassing river. One of the parameters to monitor is the absorption of the effluent at 420 nm, a typical parameter for the paper & pulp industry which should be reported to the governmental water inspection authorities. Skalar supplied Lenzing AG with its robust double beam on-line photometer with mechanical cleaning of the flow cell which has been successfully used for many years for the measurement of turbidity in water monitoring stations. Lenzing AG confirmed that the stability of the new on-line photometer is excellent in routine daily operation without any maintenance requirements.

The on-line photometer consists of three parts: The control unit with a simple keyboard and a display, the optical unit and the automatic cleaning device on top of the optical unit. The optical unit and the electronic control unit can be located up to 1 km apart. The photometer does not require any maintenance and the cleaning time interval can be preprogrammed according to customer requirements. The optical and the cleaning units can be disassembled within 1 minute for inspection, exchange of the cleaning rings, manual cleaning or recalibration of the unit if desired. The process photometer in Lenzing AG works with an LED emitting specifically at 420 nm as a light source. For water turbidity measurement an IR diode is used instead. For the total dissolved organic matter, i.e. Specific UV Absorbance (SUVA) at 254 nm according EPA 415.3, and turbidity monitoring a four beam photometer with a low pressure mercury lamp is available. All models are provided with 4-20 mA outputs and can be completed with relays, RS data communication, data logger, PID controller etc.

For more information on the Skalar Analyzers or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV.

In lactating diary cows, ketosis could occur because of a deficiency in energy rich food. In case of ketosis, abnormal levels of Acetone, Aceto-Acetate and Î²-HydroxyButyric Acid (3-HBA) can be found. The cow itself does not show illness in this stage. It is very important to diagnose a ketosis as the milk production could be negatively influenced by this disease. In order to check for this disease by the normal NIR analysis of the milk, a suitable calibration for the NIR system has to be performed. Therefore Skalar developed in cooperation with the Milk Control Station Nederland in Zutphen, The Netherlands, a suitable analyzer for the analyses of Acetone and 3-HBA in milk.

Reaction mechanism for 3-HBA

In cows, the following reaction can take place:

3-Hydroxybutyric acid Aceto-Acetate + 2H⁺ CO₂ + Acetone

But the equation is in favor of 3-HBA: about 75% of the ketone bodies will be in the 3-HBA form. The remainder will be as Aceto-Acetate and a small percentage as Acetone. So it is important to measure the 3-HBA concentration.

For the determination of 3-HBA an enzymatic reaction is used:

3-HydroxybutyrateDehydrogenase

3-Hydroxybutyric acid + NAD AcetoAcetate + NADH

The changes in NAD/NADH ratio is measured at 340 nm. A dialyzer is used in order to remove protein, fat and larger molecules from the samples. Also a blanc determination is measured prior to the addition of the enzyme as the sample can contain natural NADH or 340 nm interfering substances. After subtraction of the blanc, the photometer signals are automatically processed and the concentration calculated.

Without any pretreatment, about 40 samples per hour can be measured simultaneously for 3-HBA and Acetone. If Aceto-Acetate has to be measured, the milk sample has to be pretreated by heating it up to 100Â°C prior to analyses. All Aceto-Acetate is then converted to 3-HBA and subsequently measured.

For more information on the Skalar Analyzers or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

One of the world leaders for zinc production has implemented several Skalar on-line analyzers during the last couple of years for the continuous monitoring of the zinc sulfate production.

The production process of zinc sulfate for electrolysis has to be monitored continuously to avoid contamination of other components, like cobalt. The continuous monitoring of the process was desired to avoid intervention of laboratory personnel to take samples for laboratory testing. The implementation of the Skalar analyzers resulted in much faster and more reliable results on a continuous basis and increased the production capacity with less contamination. The zinc sulfate solution, which is measured in the production process, is in-line cooled down and diluted before it is provided to the Skalar on-line analyzers, to prevent the zinc sulfate solution to crystallize within the analyzer. During sample analysis the results are automatically transferred on a continuous basis to the process control. Future plans are to implement the Skalar on-line Analyzers not only in the process monitoring, but also in the production segment to regulate the reagent additives which will result in a more cost-effective production.

For more information on the Skalar On-line Analyzers or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) plays an important role in the growth of plants. DOM provides numerous benefits to plant growth due to its molecular structure. It helps to break up clay and compacted soils, assists in transferring nutrients from the soil to the plant and enhances water retention. To understand the dynamics of plant growth it is important to know how DOM is distributed throughout the soil.

Two of the major components of DOM are humic materials, degradation of plant material and proteins. Both fractions can be measured by fluorescence. Most fluorescence studies that have been carried out in the past measured only at single excitation and emission wavelengths (Î»_ex=330 nm; Î»_em=450 nm). These wavelengths would only represent the humic materials and provide no information about the composition and properties of the DOM.

The Skalar Fluo-Imager, based on the unique Spectral Fluorescence Signatures (SFS) technique, uses 3-dimensional fluorescence excitation-emission spectroscopy. With this technique, a three-dimensional graph is measured of fluorescence intensity as a function of the excitation and emission wavelength. Applying the SFS technique provides more detailed information on the DOM, including the proteins. Occurrence of specific fluorescence characteristics will give information on the composition and sources of the DOM.

An example of a Spectral Fluorescence Signature (SFS) of DOM in a soil extract is given in the figure below. This graph shows clearly the different components of DOM, humic materials and proteins.

To measure the distribution of DOM, humic material and proteins in soil, samples were taken and sliced into parts of one centimeter. These slices were extracted with water and the extract was measured with the Skalar Fluo-Imager. The graphs below show some of the measurements of the different slices.

When the fluorescence of the proteins and the humic material are plotted against the depth of the soil sample, the distribution of the different components of the DOM throughout the soil is obtained.

It shows clearly that almost all of the proteins are present in the first 10 cm of the soil, where the amount of humic material increases with the depth, even as deep as 25 cm.

The combination of less intensive sample pre-treatment, information about all the different aspects of the DOM and the fast analysis time of less than two minutes, makes the Skalar Fluo-Imager a very powerful tool in the investigation of the DOM distribution in different soils.

For more information on the Skalar Fluo-Imager or other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

The Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B is a versatile instrument for the rapid detection of photosynthetic pigments in water. The instrument fulfills all demands for controlling surface water for the presence of algae and cyanobacteria.

Drinking water on the other hand requires special attention. It is recognized that cyanobacteria threatens the quality of drinking water by the production of cyanotoxin. During the treatment of the raw surface water the risk for concentrating cyanobacteria and release of toxin is enhanced and early monitoring for very low levels of cyanobacteria in raw water is needed.
For this purpose Skalar has developed a high sensitivity version of the Fluo-Imager M53B, which allows the detection of cyanobacteria at ultra-low concentration levels (Â¡Ãœ 0.5 ppb). Furthermore the Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B distinguishes from other techniques by the direct registration of all photosynthetic pigments present in the sample with one single measurement. Finally the Fluo-Imager model M53B monitors on-line which makes it an ideal tool for early-warning on cyanobacterial blooms with toxin-producing potential.


Fig. 1: Spectral Fluorescence Signatures (SFS) of two cyanobacterial representatives, analyzed with the Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B. The left figure shows a scan of Microcystis aeruginosa, a cyanobacterium containing the pigment phycocyanin. In the right figure the typical SFS of Planktothrix rubenscens is shown. The cyanobacterium is rich in phycoerythrin and carotenoids.

For more information on the Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B and other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

Michele Lanoue, Reagents Business Team Lead with
the Skalar Formacs Total Nitrogen Analyzer

Currently Becton Dickinson BioSciences Discovery Labware in Bedford, Massachusetts is using the Formacs as a dedicated Total Nitrogen (TN) analyzer, utilizing the chemiluminescent detector, for determining the percentage of protein found in their collagen samples. They required that the Skalar Formacs TN analyzer was able to analyze from 0.625 mg/L of N to 20 mg/L of N with a very high accuracy and precision.

Using the Formacs TN analyzer, analysis in the above mentioned range is achieved, with coefficient of variance (C.V.) values of less or equal to 1% within two injections and never more than three injections. The Formacs TN results correlated very well with the analyzer they had been using before, making their changeover to the Skalar Formacs TN analyzer easy.

The protein value gives Becton Dickinson a quality control value, which they use as an indicator if their collagen is acceptable. Below they have provided a summation explaining the importance of their work in the scientific community. They provide collagen for there clients to carry out much needed research throughout the medical research community.

In order to create physiologically relevant in vitro models that support normal cell growth and function, the components of the in vivo environment must be incorporated. Use of extra cellular matrix (ECM) as a coating for tissue culture surfaces permits the development of model systems, which closely mimic in vivo conditions. The choice of ECM is an important component to consider when optimizing in vitro culture systems.

Michele Lanoue and Skalarâ€™s application chemist Al Yates

Collagen I can be used as a thin layer on tissue-culture surfaces to enhance cell attachment and proliferation, or as a gel to promote expression of cell-specific morphology and function. Type 1 collagen is commonly used to culture endothelial cells, hepatocytes, muscle cells, and a variety of other cell types.

Collagen IV is a component of basement membranes, the sheet-like matrix, which underlies epithelial and endothelial cells and surrounds muscle fat and nerve cells. It can be used as a thin coating on tissue culture surfaces to promote cell attachment and proliferation and to study its effects on cell behavior. Type IV Collagen is commonly used to culture PC12 cells and neuronal cells.

Below is the link to BDâ€™s ECM home page for more information on their products: http://www.bdbiosciences.com/discovery_labware/Products/cell_environments_and_ECMs/extracellular_matrix/

For more information on the Skalar Formacs TN analyzer and other Skalar products, please contact Skalar Analytical BV

The Skalar SP1000 Analyzer is well known for the determination of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), but has many more possibilities, such as the determination of pH, oxygen, conductivity, carbonate/bicarbonate and turbidity which are often used in Drinking Water laboratories.

Just like BOD/COD these parameters are labor-intensive and consequently ideal to be automated. The biggest advantage to automate pH, oxygen, conductivity, carbonate/bicarbonate and turbidity on the Skalar SP1000 is the fact that these parameters can all be analyzed simultaneously for each sample. Of course the Analyzer is able to continue the measurements during nighttime.

The standard 300ml bottles are filled with sample and placed on the SP1000. Each of the 5 racks contains 18 bottles which gives a capacity of 90 bottles. After starting the analyzer, all the parameters are calibrated. After the calibrations, the first bottle cap is removed and after 15 seconds of homogenization, with a stirrer, the oxygen concentration and temperature are measured. These two measurements are done first, because they need to be done â€œFreshlyâ€. After these two measurements, part of the sample is transported with a digital pump unit to a separate titration vessel. Here the pH is measured. If the pH is higher than 8.30, the carbonate/bicarbonate is titrated. If the pH is in between 8.30 and 4.30, only the bicarbonate is titrated. A second part of the sample is used for the determination of conductivity and turbidity. Picture 1 shows the SP1000 analyzer for the analysis of pH, oxygen, conductivity, carbonate/bicarbonate and turbidity in drinking water.

Picture 1: SP1000 analyzer for pH, oxygen, conductivity, carbonate/bicarbonate
and turbidity in drinking water

For more information please contact Skalar Analytical BV

As for the last 18 years, Skalar will exhibit at PittCon, held at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando FL, USA from February 27 â€“ March 4, 2005.

	We are located at booth No. 1863 where we will present the latest innovation in chemistry automation. Our product-specialists will be on-site to assist you with any questions and discuss your applications needs.

The full line of Skalar instruments will be exhibited, including:

SAN++, total concept of automation in wet-chemistry:
Introducing a new "total automation" concept, to increase analysis speed and saving valuable operator time, for the analysis of:
- Total Nitrogen & Total Phosphate (incl. automatic in-line UV digestion);
- Total Cyanide (incl. automatic in-line UV digestion & distillation);
- Phenol (incl. automatic in-line distillation)
- and others.
Automated BOD analysis by the SP10/SP1000 Robotic series, configured for different sample-loads for all type of laboratories requirements. Also an additional large variety of applications available such as pH, conductivity, sample-prep COD and more
Total Organic Analyzers, (Formacs ^HT/LT series) for both High temp/IR and low temp UV persulfate/IR with optional Total Nitrogen detection in liquids
Solid Carbon analysis by the (Formacs ^SC series, either as stand alone or easy attachment to the TOC analyzers
Total Nitrogen analysis by the Primacs^SN, according Dumas method, for agricultural, food and chemical industry
The Skalar Fluo-imager for oil in water analysis with the latest scanning technology utilizing spectral fluorescent signatures
The Skalar ToxTracer for rapid Toxicity analysis.

Looking forward to see you in Orlando at the Skalar booth No. 1863

For more information please contact Skalar Analytical BV

The Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Continuous Flow Analyzer (CFA) is extensively used in the Wine Industry around the world for Quality Control during the vintage process. The Skalar SAN⁺⁺ CFA Analyzer offers a flexible concept for automating wine analysis, including the automation of time-consuming sample pre-treatment steps (automatic distillation, digestion etc.), resulting in extensive operator time-savings and high sample throughputs.

Typical parameters for the Wine Industry are Total Acidity, Benzoic Acid, Total Cyanide, Density, Ethanol, Glucose/Fructose/Saccharose, (Total) Reducing Sugars, Sorbic acid, Sulphite, Sulphur Dioxide, Volatile Acidity and many more. All SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer methodologies are in full accordance with international AOAC regulations. Furthermore up to 16 wine applications can be analyzed simultaneously with the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ CFA Analyzer.

Since local regulations may differ from country-to-country, the Skalar SAN⁺⁺Analyzer also allows tailor-made configurations to meet the exact customer requirements. An example of a customized SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer configuration is the simultaneous analysis of Total Cyanide, Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid.

3-channel Skalar SAN⁺⁺ CFA analyzer for Total Cyanide, Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid

Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid are often used in sweet wines as preservatives or fermentation inhibitors. The analysis of Total Cyanide is sometimes required, as Cyanide can occasionally be present in wines and ciders during the wine making process. Due to its toxicity, a strict control on Total Cyanide levels is of course very important. Conventional methods for the analysis of Total Cyanide, Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid applications require extensive manual sample pre-treatment (like distillation) and often long analysis times of for instance 20 minutes up-to several hours per sample.

The Skalar SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer significantly reduces operator time for these parameters due to the integrated sample pre-treatment steps (automatic distillation, digestion etc.). For instance, for Total Cyanide analysis, the SAN⁺⁺ analyzer includes a fully automatic in-line UV digestion and distillation set-up.

By using a 3 channel SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer configuration the samples are analyzed simultaneously for Total Cyanide, Sorbic Acid and Benzoic Acid, including the automation of all manual sample preparation steps involved (distillation, digestion etc.).

Another typical configuration, showing the flexibility of the SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer concept, is the 5-channel SAN⁺⁺ Analyzer for the simultaneous analysis of Ethanol, Density, Total Acidity, Total Sulphur Dioxide and Total Reducing Sugars, again including the automation of all manual sample preparation steps involved.

With a typical analysis speed of 40 â€“ 90 samples/hour, the Skalar SAN⁺⁺ analyzer offers a flexible automation concept, resulting in high sample throughputs and extensive operator timesavings.

For more information please contact us.

In the Oil & Gas Industry, products are transported through pipelines over long distances from refineries to harbors or from one petro-chemical plant to another. To increase the flow rate through pipelines it is common practice to add polymers to oil and gas products.
Since in some cases the same pipelines are used to transport different oil and gas products and furthermore some of the oil and gas products are not allowed to contain polymer additives, it has to be made clear that no polymer additives are remaining in the pipeline before switching over between the different oil and gas products.

An example of this is for instance the transport of Kerosene through the same pipeline as Gasoline and Diesel, where Kerosene cannot contain polymer additives, while polymer additives to Diesel and Gasoline are required for increasing the transport flow rate of these products.
The analysis method nowadays used for validating that no polymers are remaining before switching over between different oil and gas products is based on Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC). Disadvantages of this method are that itâ€™s time-consuming, expensive and furthermore not even giving proper and satisfactory results.
For this reason Skalar has developed a none-destructive analysis technique for the analysis of polymer additives, based on the unique Spectral Fluorescence Signature (SFS) technology of the Skalar Fluo-Imager.

The technique used for this application is based on adding a fluorescent dye to the polymer additive. Due to the unique SFS technology, the Skalar Fluo-Imager is able to recognize the 3-dimensional fluorescent pattern of the dye even though the natural fluorescence pattern of the different oil products is present.
To avoid the re-absorption of the fluorescence of the dye by the oil products a microcell was used during the analysis with the Skalar Fluo-Imager.

In figure 1 the SFS (Spectral Fluorescence Signatures) of the dye is shown together with SFS of the dye added to the polymer in kerosene.

Figure 1. SFS of A) Fluorescence Dye and B) Fluorescence Dye in Polymer in Fuel.

Figure 1 clearly shows the difference in fluorescence signatures between the dye and the fuel. This makes it very simple for the library, used with the Skalar Fluo-Imager, to distinguish between the dye in the polymer and the fuel.

To measure also the amount of polymer present in the fuel, polymer and dye were mixed in a ration 100:1, by weight. This dyed polymer was added to a fuel sample to create a working standard. From this working standard dilutions were made to create standards that contained polymer in the concentrations 5; 2.5; 1; 0.1; 0.05 mg/l. These standards were used to establish the calibration curve. Figure 2 shows the calibration curve of the polymer in fuel.

Figure 2. Calibration curve of Polymer in Fuel.

From figure 2 it shows that the fluorescence is linear with the concentration. Using this ratio of dye and polymer, the detection limit of the polymer is approximately 0.1 mg/l.
By changing the ratio of dye and polymer by adding more dye, a lower detection limit can be established.

Using the fluorescence tracing technology, the Skalar Fluo-Imager offers a fast, reliable and easy-to-use procedure for the analysis of polymer additives in oil products. More information

We are pleased to announce that Skalar will attend â€œArabLab 2005â€ scheduled for the 31st January â€“ 3rd February 2005 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

At â€œArabLab 2005â€ we will exhibit our range of automatic laboratory and on-line process analyzers for the environmental field (water, waste water, surface water, seawater etc.), the petro-chemical industry, soil & plant applications, pharmaceutical and the food & beverage industry.
Latest developments within the Skalar range of analyzers are:

The Skalar Fluo-Imager for Oil-in-Water analysis
The new Skalar SAN⁺⁺ automatic wet-chemistry analyzer for the analysis of nitrate, phosphate, ammonia, sulfate, surfactants, Total Cyanide, Total Phenol and many others.
The Skalar Primacs^SN Protein-Nitrogen analyzer for application in the agricultural and food industry.
The Skalar Formacs^HT TOC/TN analyzer for the analysis of TOC and Total Nitrogen (environmental friendly alternative to conventional Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen analysis).
The Skalar Robotic analyzer series for automation of BOD, COD, pH, conductivity etc.

Please visit our booth 237, Hall 4, so we can show you our latest developments and answer your questions. For more information please contact Skalar.
For more information on "ArabLab 2005" you can follow this link http://www.arablab.com/

Skalarâ€™s Formacs^TN analyzer for the Total Nitrogen (TN) analysis in liquid samples using catalytic combustion and chemiluminescence detection has now been updated with the new model Total Nitrogen detector (ND-20).

In recent years, our previous model of Nitrogen detector (ND-10) has proven to be of excellent performance for Nitrogen analysis by the combustion principle and this technology is being more and more accepted and regulated in international regulations, such as ASTM D5176-91, ISO 11905-2, DIN ENV 12260 and DIN 38409 H27.

System set-up, Formacs^SERIES High Temperature combustion analyzer with the new ND-20 Total Nitrogen detector

On its Formacs^TN model, Skalar not only offers a TN determination but also the NO3+NO2 (NN) concentrations can be determined separately by introducing the sample into the optional NN-reactor.This unique combination of TN & NN truly offers an alternative for Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) determination (TKN = TN â€“ NN).

Features:

Fast Analysis time, less then 3 minutes
Environmentally friendly, no use of hazardous reagents
MDL < 0.005 mg/l N

The new ND-20, TN detector has a new nowadays design and fits nicely along the Formacs^SERIES high temperature combustion analyzer. It offers a better signal-to-noise ratio and higher sensitivity, which results in a lower method detection limit (MDL) of 4.6 ppb N.

Nitrogen detector ND-20

The analyzer is not only dedicated for Nitrogen analysis, but can be upgraded towards a TOC + TN analyzer by a simple upgrade with a NDIR detector.

Working range with the new ND-20 Total Nitrogen detector is from 20 ppb up to 500 mg/l Nitrogen (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Calibration curve 10 â€“ 500 mg/l N

The former Total Nitrogen detector model ND-10 will be discontinued and replaced by the ND-20 Nitrogen detector.

For more information on the Skalar range of TOC & Total Nitrogen analyzers, please contact Skalar Analytical at Skalar

Petro Industry News October 2004 - TC/TOC/TIC Analysis Focus

Automatic TOC and Total Nitrogen analysis in liquid & solid sample materials by the Skalar TOC/TN analyzer series.
Current trends within environmental laboratories are to focus instrument purchase on ease-of-use and higher sample throughput achieved by increased analysis speed. To meet these requirements the Skalar Formacs TOC/TN analyzer series is developed as an all-in-one instrument for the analysis of :

TOC (Total Organic Carbon)
TC (Total Carbon)
TIC (Total Inorganic Carbon)
NPOC (Non Purgeable Org. Carbon)
TN (Total Nitrogen)
NN(NO3 +NO2)

Picture: 1 Skalar Formacs TOC/TN analyzer

For TC, TOC and NPOC analysis in liquid samples, the Formacs TOC/TN analyzer uses catalytic combustion at a temperature of at least 850Â°C in an oxygen atmosphere, followed by infrared detection (NDIR) of the CO₂ released. For TIC analysis the sample is acidified in the IC reactor followed by infrared detection of the released CO₂.

For full un-attended operation, the Formacs TOC/TN analyzer is furthermore equipped with an auto-sampler that can handle water samples containing particles with particle sizes up to 500 Âµm. Samples are automatically homogenized by a top-stirring device in 8 ml sample vials or 40-mL VOA certified sample containers.

Figure 1: Skalar Formacs TOC/TN analyzer principle

Besides TOC, the automation of TN via catalytic combustion is gaining more and more attention worldwide due to the speed of analysis (2 minutes) and the environmental friendly character of the analysis compared with for instance Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, which requires a time consuming off-line acid digestion step.

For TN analysis the Formacs TOC/TN analyzer uses catalytic combustion followed by chemiluminescence detection (CLD). NO₃+NO₂ analysis is determined via chemical reduction followed by chemiluminescence detection.

An additional advantage of automating TN via catalytic combustion is that TOC and TN analysis can be performed in one sample simultaneously.

The latest software developments for TOC/TN analysis include:

Dual-channel set-up for simultaneous analysis of TOC & TN
Diagnostics / Alarm settings control for full un-attended operation and instrument control
Automatic sample timing, meaning that once the end point of integration is reached, automatically a new injection starts which saves valuable analysis time
System is able to analyze low ppb to high ppm levels of TOC by using a dual-range infrared detector, which minimizes time-consuming sample dilutions.
21CFR part 11 compliant

Solid- and Sludge samples;

Specifically for solids and sludge samples and samples containing high concentrations of acid, alkaline, salt and heavy metals, Skalar has developed the Primacs^MCS add-on TOC module. The Primacs^MCS add-on module operates in combination with the Formacs TOC/TN analyzer series and is equipped with a unique vertical sample introduction design, which prevents direct contact between sample matrix and catalyst. This guarantees a long catalyst lifetime and a minimum of maintenance interventions for analyzing solid and/or sludge samples with low and high concentrations of Carbon.

Picture 2: Primacs^MCS add-on module for TOC in solids & sludge samples

For more information on Skalar's range of TOC & Total Nitrogen analyzers, please contact Skalar

The occurrence of toxic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in drinking water sources causes human health risks. Monitoring and control of the reservoirs is an essential part in protecting drinking water quality. Currently used analysis procedures for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins are laborious, time consuming and expensive.

An alternative is the analysis of the cyanobacterial pigments with the Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B, which uses the unique Spectral Fluorescent Signature (SFS) technology, a direct fluorescent â€œfingerprintingâ€ technology which is direct, fast (results within minutes), easy-to-use and sensitive.
TZW (Technologiezentrum Wasser) in Dresden, Germany, has recently implemented the M53B Fluo-Imager for controlling water quality at different stages of the treatment process. No sample treatment is required and because of the in-situ (direct) measurement procedure, results are obtained in real time. This enables the user to take adequate precautions at the right moment when cyanobacterial pigment levels exceed critical limits. The study is part of the European project â€œBarriers against cyanotoxins in drinking waterâ€ coordinated by TZW.

Fig 1. The characteristic SFSâ€™s of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (left) and the green alga Chlorella emersonii (right), expressing the different topographies of phycocyanin and chlorophyll-a and -b respectively.

The advantage of the SFS technology of the Skalar Fluo-Imager is that the instrument doesnâ€™t measure at fixed wavelengths. It scans the visible excitation range from 400 to 650 nm and emission range from 530 to 730nm, detecting all main phytoplankton pigments. The result is a spectral fluorescent signature, a 2-dimensional picture, where differences in fluorescence intensities caused by the pigments are visualized by colors (see figure 1). The SFS is automatically analyzed by the computer expert system for identification and concentration measurement of the pigment. Different algae classes can be determined and the scan technique permits the in vivo as well as the in vitro analysis of phytoplankton pigments.

For more information about the Fluo-Imager M53B please contact Skalar

The new Skalar Cyanide analyzer combines latest development in analyzer technology with worldwide-approved methodologies.

Cyanide has a complex chemistry and the monitoring is correspondingly complex. Cyanide consists of soluble and insoluble forms as both simple and complex species, samples are taken from wastewater, surface water, and drinking water, soil extracts and in process control such as gold extraction

The Skalar Cyanide analyzer for Total cyanide, free cyanide, weak and dissociable cyanide and thiocyanide according to EPA and ISO approved methodologies.
The analyzer is equipped with a 140 positions auto sampler with full automatic standard preparation and over range dilution facility.
The chemistry part can be either equipped to analyze fully automatic all forms of cyanide either sequential or simultaneously.
The detection limit of the analyzer is 0.5 ppb and the range goes up to the high ppm level.

Hundreds of laboratories and industries worldwide are already using the Skalar laboratory Cyanide Laboratory analyzers or process analyzers.
The new analyzer is a compact concept with full automatic UV digestion and in-line distillation.

The Skalar TOC product line is extended with a new TOC Add on module, the PrimacsMCS that operates in combination with the FormacsHT, liquid sample TOC analyzer.

This TOC module has a dual oven design and capability to analyze TC and IC separately and the Windows based PrimacsMCS software collects the data and reports the TOC concentrations.

The carbon content in the samples is combusted and quantitative oxidized to carbon-dioxide, this formed carbon dioxide is transported to the liquid TOC analyser for conditioning by means of a electronic Peltier cooler and halogen absorber to remove water and halogens before the Infra Red detection.

The semi-automated system is designed to analyze TC, TIC and TOC in a range of 100 Âµg to 30 mg of absolute carbon.

As calibration data shows the module performs a linear plot for total- and inorganic carbon over the complete analysis range, which means a single calibration curve is required for TC and IC.

This module is extremely suitable for laboratories, which are analyzing mainly liquid TOC samples and have a much smaller quantity of solid samples. The module is a very good economical alternative for the Stand-alone PrimacsSLC TOC analyzer.

Typical applications for the PrimacsMCS are:

Waste Water treatments plants
Soil/Plant analysis
Fertilizer factories
Industrial waste analysis
Pharmaceutical industries (Swap tests)

The easy change over from Liquid- to Solid analysis mode creates a wide range of possibilities with this set-up.

The analyzer set-up meets the International Standards, as USEPA, CEN EN-13137, ISO 10694, ASTM D-2579 for Total Organic Carbon analysis, which describes the TOC analysis by furnace oxidation and infrared detection method.

The Elbe, one of the major waterways of Central Europe, flows from the Polish /Czech border into the Czech Republic where it meets with the Moldau nearby the town of Melnik, and later enters Germany, passes the city of Hamburg and finally flows into the North Sea.

In the summer of 2002 during heavy flooding the water level rose 8 to 9 meters within hours and destroyed whole villages, also several water quality monitoring stations along these rivers were severely damaged and needed to be rebuild completely.

Recently a range of Skalar water quality monitors have been installed in the new station on the Moldau and in the new Obristvi station on the Elbe in the Czech Republic.

Cement is a mixture of compounds, consisting mainly of silicates and aluminates of calcium and is manufactured by burning a mixture of limestone and clay at high temperatures.

When mixed with sand, gravel, and water in proportions, it sets to a dense, rock-like material (concrete). Additives may accelerate or retard the set, increase strength, or make it resistant to acid, shrinkage, or freeze-thaw cracking.

TOC is an important Quality Control parameter during the manufacturing cement, from the raw material until the final product.

The well-proven concept of the Skalar Primacs^SLC analyzer for the combined analysis of solids, sludge, and liquid samples is perfectly applicable for the analysis of Limestone samples for the trace contents of Organic Carbon compounds.

The analyzer meets the European Standard for Total Organic Carbon in Limestone, EN 13639, which describes the TOC analysis by furnace oxidation followed by an infrared detection method.

With itâ€™s flexible detection settings, the analyser can be used to analyse an extremely wide range from 0.001 up to 30 mg Carbon absolute.
The instrument measures Total Carbon (TC) and Inorganic Carbon (IC) contents and as a result it will report TOC concentrations. It is also capable to analyze acid treated samplers to report a direct TOC (NPOC) measurement.

For limestone analysis a direct measurement of TOC is of major importance due to the differences in Inorganic and Organic carbon concentrations.

A homogeneous sample is introduced to the analyzer up to a sample weight of three grams without any further pre-treatment. Advanced Instrument design means that a fast and reliable result is produced without the need for blank corrections and other purification steps. A TOC result will be reported within 4 minutes.

Real world data on raw materials and final cement:

Sample ID	Concentration in % C	RSD in %
Sample 1	0.32	0.32
Sample 2	0.34	1.87
Sample 3	0.67	1.94
Sample 4	0.90	2.02
Sample 5	0.33	0.47
Sample 6	0.01	1.01
Sample 7	0.01	0.68
Sample 8	2.40	0.70
Sample 9	0.75	2.14
Sample 10	0.21	1.25

Other applications where the Skalar Primacs^SLC can be used :

Waste Water treatments plants
Soil/Plant analysis
Fertilizer factories
Clean water analysis
Industrial waste analysis
Mining Industry

Industrial facilities that use detergents to clean machinery, as well as Soap manufacturers and households will discharge anionic detergents into the surface water.

The methylene blue active substances (MBAS) method is in most routine water laboratories used to measure anionic detergents; the method is now well regulated with USEPA and ISO procedures.

The increasing amount of anionic detergent analysis required in the environmental laboratories, drinking water plants and wastewater treatment plants to assess surface water pollution have greatly increased the need to automate this analysis.

Anionic detergents react with methylene blue to form a blue colored complex that is extracted into an organic solvent after which the absorbance of the complex is measured at 650 nm.

The manual method and automated methods suffer in the low range from reliability and accuracy. Skalar has now developed a new cartridge for its SAN ++ analyzer addressing these problems.

The cartridge consists of one integrated glass module, which is temperature controlled to avoid drift and degassing of the organic solvent. Connections are of a new unique design, for trouble free connection to the pump tubing and detector.

The typical range of the new cartridge is 10 â€“ 500 ppb, with a MDL of 7 ppb and a typical start up time is 30 minutes

References:

EPA method 425.1 (1983).
Standard Methods, 19th ed., p. 5-42, method 5540 C (1995)
ISO 7875 â€“1, 1996

The standard toxicity test using luminescent bacteria is ideal for the rapid detection of the overall toxicity in aqueous samples. In the presence of a toxic compound the light production of the bacteria is inhibited and is measured with the ToxTracer luminometer.

However, identification or quantification of the toxicant is not possible. Skalar offers now genetically engineered bacteria sensitive to one single heavy metal. When exposed to a specific heavy metal these bacteria start to produce light. In other words: luminescence by the bacteria reveals the presence of that particular heavy metal in the sample.
The kit contains a vial with lyophilized bacteria, which is sufficient for 30 assays.

The method is simple:

Rehydrate lyophilized bacteria --> Mix bacteria with sample --> Incubate 2 hours at 37ÂºC --> Add substrate --> measure light in ToxTracer Luminometer

Advantages of this "reverse" luminescent bacteria test:

No background luminescence from cells
Lyophilization: reagent-like storage
No transport on dry-ice required
Field use
Selective for the heavy metal involved
Inexpensive

The following ToxTracer Heavy Metal Sensors are available now:

Cat. No	Metal Detection Limit	(ppb)
90035230	Inorganic Mercury	2
90035231	Organomercurials	0.05
90035232	Arsenic (III)	2
90035233	Arsenic (V)	4
90035234	Cadmium	0.4
90035235	Chromate	2
90035236	Lead	10

Skalar is introducing its new model Fluo-Imager at Pittcon and Achema this year. Since the introduction of the Skalar Fluo-Imager a few years ago its unique technology has proven its value for quick screenings of a.o. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), Oils and oil products and Chlorophyll.

The new model Skalar Fluo-Imager M53 has the following added features:

Increased sensitivity
User friendly
Compact design
Optional auto sampler

The CCD camera has been replaced by a more sensitive photomultiplier increasing the sensitivity 3 to 5 times compared to the previous model.

Detection limits of old model M52 and new model M53
	M52 (mg/l)	M53 (mg/l)
Crude oils	0.1	0.025
Petrol	0.5	0.127
Diesel oils	0.3	0.085
Fuels	0.02	0.005
Lubricants	0.3	0.085
Waste oils	0.2	0.05

The new model has a can either be used as a batch laboratory analyzer or on-line unit
Also switching from the flow-through measuring cell, for semi on-line analysis and the use of an auto-sampler to the manual cell has been simplified and can be done by only one turn.

All these changes have made the Skalar Fluo-Imager to be an even more reliable and easy-to-use analyzer for laboratory and field analysis of Oil-in-water, phenols, PAH and other aromatic compounds.

The control of phosphate in wastewater treatment plants and on surface waters is of great importance for the eco-system. Too many nutrients will give bad water quality and will kill part of the eco-system. Measuring phosphate concentration frequently will help controlling the amount of phosphate in the water, by taking proper measures at critical levels of phosphate.

The Skalar OPA 2000, batch monitor, is now capable of measuring total phosphate. The new developed method shows an excellent correlation to the conventional laboratory methods (EPA 365.1/ISO 6879) and (ISO/DIS 15681).

Several field samples of the in- and effluent of a sewage works in the Netherlands have been analyzed for this study.

The analyzer is capable to analyze up to 3 samples per hour for phosphate, simultaneous/sequential with another 3 parameters in one OPA 2000

The calibration curve shows that this application is linear over its full range.

After measuring this calibration curve a correlation of variation (C.V.) was determined, measuring a concentration of 5 mg/l P 20 times. The excellent results of this test are presented in figure 4.

The excellent performance of the Skalar OPA 2000 combined with its low reagent consumption and maintenance have made this on-line batch analyzer one of the most reliable, easy to use on-line process analyzers available today.

We are pleased to announce that Skalar will attend â€œARAB LAB 2003â€ scheduled for 3 - 6 February 2003 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At â€œARAB LAB 2003â€ we will exhibit our range of automatic laboratory and on-line process analyzers for the environmental field (water, waste water, surface water, seawater etc.), soil & plant applications, pharmaceutical and the food & beverage industry.

Applications include Nitrate, Phosphate, Cyanide, Phenol, Anionic Surfactants, TOC, Oil-in-Water, Nitrogen, Protein and many others.

Latest developments within the Skalar range of analyzers are:

The new Skalar Fluo-Imager for Oil-in-Water analysis
The new Skalar Primacs^SN Protein-Nitrogen analyzer for application in the agricultural and food industry
The Skalar Formacs^HT TOC/TN analyzer for the analysis of TOC and Total Nitrogen (environmental friendly alternative to conventional Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen analysis)

Please stop by our booth 141, Hall 4, so we can show you our latest developments and answer your questions. For more information on "ARAB LAB 2003" you can follow this link

The most modern Polish Waste Water Treatment Plant in the city of ToruÃ± uses the Skalar PrimacsSLC, Total Organic Carbon analyzer for TOC an IC measurements for the technology control for water treatment and sludge fermentation.

M.O.S. - ToruÃ±, Poland

The PrimacsSLC analyzer, based on a High Temperature combustion principle controls the water outlet from the plant and easily measures concentrations below 10 mg/l of Carbon whereas in the sludge up to 80,000 mg/l of Carbon occurs.
These TOC concentrations will predict the amount of methane, which will be released during fermentation and the time that is needed for the acid fermentations.

This analyzer is unique in its vertical design, which prevents direct contact of the sample and catalyst, a robust and reliable TOC analyzer that needs a minimum of maintenance interventions.
Previous in combination with a sophisticated automated clean-up procedure prior to each sample measurement makes it possible to measure a wide range of sample concentrations without carry over or memory effects.

PrimacsSLC analyser M.O.S.- Plant Laboratory

Low-level calibration data below is a proof of excellent analyser performance and operator skills, as shown by Mrs. Malgorzata Kurantowicz, in routine operations after one month of routine sludge measurements on site.

Calibration Graph, Carbon concentrations from 0.002 â€“ 0.08 mg absolute C.

Prof. Ronald Psennerâ€™s Institute of Zoology and Limnology of the University in Innsbruck, Austria, well known for the research of global change effects on alpine lakes, purchased recently Skalarâ€™s continuous flow analyzer SAN++. It is used for investigation of the fragile alpine environment and determines total nitrogen and silicate. The concentration of total nitrogen gives insight into biogeochemical processes related to the increase in nitrogen depositions and climate-driven changes in catchment vegetation. The silicate level indicates enhanced weathering of siliceous rocks, such as granites, and the activity of diatoms, i.e. algae which use silicon to construct their beautiful frustules.

The chemist in charge of SAN+ is an outstanding personality worth to be introduced to the Skalar community. Mr. Werner MÃ¼ller broke his vertebra during a motorcycle race accident in Spain in 1978 and became paraplegic. Due to his strong will and exceptional commitment he was able to restart his life in an admirable way. He won the gold medal in shooting at the Para Olympics 1984 in England and again in 1988 in Korea. He is diver, a passionate globetrotter and photographer. He was able to master the new analyzer in very short time because he has more than 20 years of experience in continuous flow systems. It is a real pleasure and very inspiring to work with him as he is full of energy and life optimism. We are proud to welcome him to our Skalar users group.

Skalar is proud to introduce a new model in their PrimacsSERIES analyser range. A Combustion TOC analyser, that is capable to analyze Solid and Liquid samples.

PrimacsSLC analyser

With his flexible range detection settings, the analyser can be used in a extreme wide range from 0.001 mg/l Carbon â€“ up to 30 mg Carbon absolute.

The instrument measures Total Carbon (TC) and Inorganic Carbon (IC) contents and as a result it will report TOC concentrations.
A fully automated Airlock/Rinse system is integrated to remove CO2 interference from ambient air before analysis.

The wide range of analysis for Solid- and/or Liquid samples makes this analyser suitable for many different application fields, like;

Waste Water treatments plants
Soil/Plant analysis
Fertilizer factories
Clean water analysis
Mining Industry
Cement industry
Industrial waste analysis
Pharmaceuticals etc.

Due to the well proven unique vertical sample introduction principle, we're able to determine not only clean and harmless sample matrices but also strong acidic, alkaline and salt matrices without valuable downtime for changing catalyst fillings.

The system is fully computer controlled and data is collected and reported by a user friendly Windows based software package.
The analyser meets international TOC regulations according CEN, ISO and NEN-EN 13137.

FormacsSERIES TOC/TN analyzers and

PrimacsSERIES , Solid sample TOC/TN analyzers

This Software version TOC4Win V1.4 has been finalized with more advanced and user friendly features,

In comparison to previous well proven versions, a summary of these
new features are listed,

Automatic Re-analysis of Over- or Under range samples
Automatic start-up from Sleeping mode, using a Real time clock Setting
Automatic sample peak detection, saves valuable analysis time
Full Alarm settings control for major parameters, like Combustion Temperature, Peltier cooler Temperature and Carrier-gas Flow
Password protected for different operator levels
Real time Peak-editing possibility
Method defined parameter settings, for easy three key touch start up procedure
QC charts and Sample Report generator
Scrolling in Real time graphics screen during analysis mode, and zooming function for graphs in X and Y positions
Supports Balance interfacing, for Solid Sample weights transfer in custom made Templates
Software Operates under

Windows NT 4.0
Windows 2000
Windows XP

Software pop up windows available in English, German and French language
Software operates in conjunction with other Skalar software packages simultaneously

As previous versions software is this version also conforms to international TOC and TN standard regulatory methods including;
EPA, Standard Methods, ISO and DIN.

The Skalar TOC/TN Windows software version 1.4, can be ordered under catalogue number 4CA14305.
All users of previous version of software V1.31 can be updated without any further modifications.
For other users with certain doubts please contact the Skalar Helpdesk for your upgrading possibilities.

For the Dutch peat soil producer â€œBas van Buurenâ€, the determination of pH and Conductivity has always involved a lot of manual labor. For nearly one year now, they have been working with the new Skalar CompactpH/EC analyzer.

Bas van Buuren BV is one of the biggest substrate companyâ€™s of Europe. Originally founded in 1908, it has been developed into a company delivering peat soil and substrate to plant, flower and vegetable growers all over the world. The main office is based in the Dutch city of Maasland with subsidiaries in Grubbenvorst, Vriezenveen and Zaltbommel (The Netherlands). All these companies deliver samples daily to the main laboratory in Maasland. This laboratory is well equipped with an ICP for metals and a Skalar SAN+ system for the analyses of nutrients. Also customer samples will be handled in this laboratory. But the highest capacity parameters are pH and Conductivity on the substrates and pot soil samples. With these measurements, the additions of chalk and fertilizer are to be checked. As the numbers of analyses have been growing rapidly over the past years, Bas van Buuren had to automate these determinations and considered Skalar as the ideal partner for this automation.

COMPACTpH/ECsystem

The reasons for the problems with the manual measurement are due to the complicated sample matrix. Peaty soils and pot soils are used to grow plants. The materials used to produce these soils are very diverse, materials such as stone wool, glass wool, cork, coconut skin, oasis and many more are involved. All these materials are very difficult to handle. (See picture)

The automatic analyses starts with the Conductivity measurement without stirring, but with temperature compensation. The next step is the pH measurement by stirring the sample for a fixed time period, by a special designed stirrer, followed by the pH measurement in the settling suspension The combined probe is partly rinsed in the beaker followed by complete rinsing in the rinsing vessel prior to the next measurement.

The sample table is either downloaded from a LIMS system, or keyed in, or read with a barcode reader. The flexible software is able to handle a nearly unlimited amount of sample I.D.â€™s. The analyzer holds two racks with max. 16 samples of 450 ml each. During analysis sample trays can be changed. The operator selects in the software pH or Conductivity or both.

Example of a sample table with results; the output is also connected to a LIMS

Growing plants is seasonal; the average number of samples per day is 150. The amount of time saved with the COMPACTpH/EC is 40% over the manual method. Because of this automation, the peak capacity is handled without extra overtime. The analyzer is capable to handle a workload of up to 250 samples per day.

In the Dutch aqua delta, Urea has to be measured in seawater. Urea is an organic Nitrogen source and is therefore competing with Ammonia. It is also excreted by zooplankton and other animals. At the NIOO institute in Yerseke, the Dutch Centre for Estuarine and Coastal Ecology, this method was tested for their analysis of samples from the Eastern and Western Schelde area.

The levels are in the area of 1 Â¡V 10 Æ’Ãmol/l so determination with enzymatic reactions will give high figures as also Ammonia will be measured simultaneously.

The manual DAM method is laborious and dangerous because of the heating step with strong acid. The DAM method (Di-Acetyl Monoxim) was tested on a Skalar flow analyzer. The results obtained were very promising: the detections level was determined at 0.2 Æ’Ãmol/l and the accuracy of 99.8 - 101.5% (tested with the standard addition method).

A standard Skalar SAN++ automatic analyzer was used equipped with a module for Urea determination and a digital detector and interface.

In the region of Northern Ireland surface water is used, after treatment, for drinking water. One of the factors influencing the quality of the water is the presence of phytoplankton. Eutrophication of the water may result in algae blooms, causing the water to smell and taste bad. The blooms of blue-green bacteria have an especially bad reputation because of their excretion of toxins.

Traditional analysis of water for the concentration of phytoplankton subscribes a laborious technique for the isolation and measurement of chlorophyll-a, an important component of the photosynthetic apparatus of algae.

Water Services Northern Ireland are using the Fluo-Imager M32B which has the following advantages:

Sample treatment and isolation of chlorophyll-a is not required. The phytoplankton pigments are directly measured in the sample.
All pigments are analysed, not only chlorophyll-a. This information gives an indication of the type of algae present. E.g. the typical pigments of blue-green bacteria are rapidly identified.
The on-line mode permits continuous measurement of the water quality.

The Formation Damage and Acid Stimulation Unit of the R&D Center of Saudi Aramco recently installed Skalarâ€™s Formacs LT TOC analyzer. This analyzer will be used to determine total organic carbon content of oilfield brines in Saudi Arabia.

The FormacsLT is Skalar's latest fully computer controlled low temperature TOC analyzer. The analyzer includes an integrated random access sampler with a stirrer. It is particularly suitable for complex sample matrices including surface and sea water. Unlike of the high temperature TC reactors no sea water salt deposits are created in the low temperature UV digestion coil. The poisoning of the catalyst or the clogging of the reactor can never happen.
The first research project to use the new TOC analyzer at the Saudi Aramco R&D Center will study formation damage in seawater injection wells. Other projects will examine TOC levels in flowback samples from stimulation treatments.

Skalar has developed in close co-operation with Degussa. a fully automated Total Carbon analyzer for one of the most difficult sample matrices to be analyzed in a combustion analyzer.

Degussa. is a world leading manufacturer of concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide solutions, which are frequently used as a bleaching agent for natural and chemical fibers and in the paper and pulp industries.

The new Skalar PrimacsATC analyzer is a dual range Carbon analyzer with autosampler, and can as easily handle both liquids and solid samples.

The PrimacsATC is capable of analyzing TC concentrations in a range of 5 - 100 mg/l (ppm) Carbon in highly concentrated Hydrogen Peroxide (up to 60%) without any sample pre-treatment.

Also Solid samples can be determined in a range of 1 â€“30 mg of Carbon absolute.

Both liquids and solids are analyzed in daily routine, the high degree of automation has resulted in increased accuracy and cost saving.

March 5 and 6, Skalar organized, in collaboration with the Quangdong EPA, a water seminar in the city Quangzhou in China.

The seminar was well-attended and over 150 participants learned about the latest Skalar technology in analyzing water.

The complete Skalar range of water analyzers was demonstrated, and several Chinese users shared their experience in the routine operation of our analyzers.

Finally flexible and dependable, full automatic simultaneous processing for pH and Conductivity in water samples with our SK-pH/EC.

Both units, either for batches of 32 samples or for batches up to 90 samples, can also be configured with custom sample trays to fit your existing sample vials. The analyzer calibrates and rinses itself and can generate results every 20 seconds.

Предстоящие события

Achema 2012
18 Июнь - 22 Июнь 2012
World Brewing Congress meeting
28 Июль - 1 Август 2012
Water and Wastewater Fair 2012
18 Сентябрь - 20 Сентябрь 2012

Fig 2.

Chlamydomas	Rhodomonas	Prymnesium

Анализаторы появятся здесь!

Анализаторы появятся здесь!

Complete automation for st-COD analysis on the SP50 and SP1000 analyzers

New Robotic Analyzer Software

Low level Phosphate analysis on the San++ Continuous Flow Analyzer

Sub ppb detection levels for Total Phenol analysis on the San++

HTAccess V3 - NEW TOC/TN analyzer software

Office relocation of Skalar India

Skalar participated in the International Conference on Flow Analysis in Krakow

Address change for Skalar Belgium

High Sensitivity method for detection of Anionic Surfactants (MBAS)

San++ seawater analyzer transport and storage case

Skalar’s Robotic Analyzer Series for Automatic Sample Preparation & Analysis

Upcoming exhibitions

Eurolab March 9-11

Pittcon March 13-18

ChemBio March 22-24

Laborama March 24-25

San++ continuous flow analyzer for ultra low level seawater analysis

FlowAccessTM V3

Formaldehyde analysis with the SAN++ analyzer

Analytica 2010

Skalar’s Automated Kelada In line distillation and digestion for Cyanides

Eurolab March 3rd - 5th 2010

Pittcon March 1st - 4th 2010

Unified Wine & Grape Symposium 27th - 28th January 2010

ARABLAB 9th-12th January 2010

Automated analysis of β-hydroxybutyric and citric acid in milk

Skalar implements Optical Oxygen probe for BOD and DO measurements

Specifications new Optical Oxygen probe:

Skalar SP10 COD Robotic Analyzer for the measurement of COD

Skalar automates Total Nitrogen analysis for Pharma application at OctoPlus

Skalar introduces the automatic Lignin (Kappa number) analyzer

Fully automated EPA approved Kelada-01 Total Cyanide Method on the Skalar San++

Pittcon 2009 - Looking back at a successful exhibition

Skalar launches the BluVision Discrete Analyzer

Features

Skalar Automates Complex Analytical Procedure

San++ Automated Beer & Malt Analyzer on Display at EBC

The automation of the determination of Starch in beer samples

Skalar San++ Analyzer for Sea Water Analysis - Optimum Accuracy and Performance

Looking back at the Analytica 2008

PittCon 2008 - A successful Show

San++ Automated Wine Analyzer on Display at Unified Wine and Grape Symposium

Skalar SAN++ CFA analyzer for the Analysis of Nitrogen and Phosphate

Skalar Regional Support Center in India

The SA1075 Random Access auto sampler

Total and Free Cyanide analysis with amperometric detection

Ammonia Analysis in Seawater with Fluorimetric Detection

Skalar present at JAIMA 2007, Japan

The PrimacsSNC Total Carbon & Total Nitrogen Analyzer

Operating Principle

Low level TOC analysis on the Skalar SAN++ Analyzer

Fertilizer Analysis with the Skalar SAN++ Continues Flow Analyzer

NPK (Nitrate, Ammonia, Phosphorus, Potassium) , Urea and Total Nitrogen

Automation of pH, Conductivity and Alkalinity

Extended Phytoplankton Pigment Catalogues for Fluo-Imager M53B

The PrimacsATC Total Carbon Analyzer for solid samples

Operating Principle

New SA1100 sampler and SA1150 sampler

Manual Control

Skalar Cyanide Analyzer with amperometric detection

Skalar introduces the SP50 Robotic Analyzer

The automation of Clay Fraction analysis (ISO 11277)

FluoImager as a research tool for DOM analysis

New On-line Photometer with Automated Mechanical Flow Cell Cleaning

Determination of 3-HydroxyButyric Acid and Acetone in Milk

On-line analyzers for cobalt analysis in zinc sulfate production

Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) distribution in soil

Detection of Cyanobacteria using the Skalar Fluo-Imager M53B

Protein determination in collagen samples

Application of the Skalar SP1000 Analyzer for Drinking Water analysis

Skalar at PittCon 2005

Quality Control in the Wine Industry

Analyzing Additives in Fuels using Fluorescent Tracers with the Fluo-Imager

Skalar present at ArabLab 2005

New model Nitrogen detector for Total Nitrogen analyzer

The latest developments in TOC and TN analysis

Intake control in drinking water production

New Skalar Cyanide Analyzer

Complete automation for st-COD analysis on the SP50 and SP1000 analyzers
20 Апрель 2012

New Robotic Analyzer Software
23 Март 2012

Low level Phosphate analysis on the San++ Continuous Flow Analyzer
9 Март 2012

Sub ppb detection levels for Total Phenol analysis on the San++
25 Ноябрь 2011

HTAccess V3 - NEW TOC/TN analyzer software
22 Август 2011

Office relocation of Skalar India
10 Июль 2011

Skalar participated in the International Conference on Flow Analysis in Krakow
10 Июль 2011

Achema 2012
18 Июнь - 22 Июнь 2012

World Brewing Congress meeting
28 Июль - 1 Август 2012

Water and Wastewater Fair 2012
18 Сентябрь - 20 Сентябрь 2012