Does the rise of cost effective, rapid and real time in-situ monitoring spell the end for the environmental testing
laboratory? By Ian Rippin, NLS commercial director
Contributors: Matt Lowenthal, NLS instrumentation technical specialist; Frances Houston, NLS instrumentation manager; Graham Miller, Agilent mobile Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) global business manager and Chris Hunter, NLS Leeds laboratory manager.
Monitoring solutions, not just laboratory results Reacting to results derived from traditional methods of environmental testing is certainly an ideal course of action, but using real time results to influence immediate decision-making as part of a monitoring solution, is potentially better. That is the conclusion many organisations are reaching when looking to assess the impact their business activities are having on the environment.
Many are now looking to take advantage of the advances that have been achieved in field-based monitoring technology. The adoption of a field-based approach can either act as a replacement for, or in addition to, more traditional environmental testing regimes.
As a further indication of the growing trend from lab to field, there are an increasing number of environmental laboratories that are offering their customers field- based analytical tools. The new services sit alongside the more traditional business models that have focused on the testing of customer samples that are received by laboratories in bottles and containers.
Following the recent launch of the National Water Quality Image 1
Instrumentation Service, Frances Houston, who manages the new National Laboratory Service (NLS) offering, says: “The NLS has recognised that the needs of its customers now extend beyond traditional lab-based testing to the provision of more responsive monitoring solutions. These monitoring solutions involve the bringing together of, not just scientific knowledge, but technical and engineering expertise as well.”
The drivers for the adoption of real time monitoring In the past, those organisations that have taken their environmental responsibilities seriously, have had limited access to the technology that is able to monitor their own discharges.
The case for field-based monitoring is clear: it can enable rapid and in-situ environmental assessments by providing real time results in dynamic settings. Field- based monitoring devices can measure actually what is happening in a given water course over time.
It would be impossible to achieve the same representative result in a cost effective manner through traditional sampling techniques. Matt Loewenthal, NLS
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|114| ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
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