Clean, safe water is a cornerstone of life itself, and the ability to properly process and treat wastewater is a key component in environmental preservation. As such, water treatment plants such as Veritas S. p. A (Veneziana Energia Risorse Idriche Territorio Ambiente e Servizi) are a critical part of water infrastructure, and the analytical methods they use are a critical part of water treatment.
Veritas is one of the largest multi-utility water treatment facilities in all of Italy, performing both waste collection and treatment and an integrated water cycle. Their analysis laboratory monitors the drinking water quality (78 million cubic meters distributed through their water service annually) that runs through their treatment facility according to international standards. One of the ways they do this is by using thermogravimetric analysis on the sludge residue left by the water treatment process.
Veritas has three TGA701s and one TGA801 which they use for this analysis. Each instrument can analyze up to 19 samples simultaneously to determine the moisture, ash, and volatile matter of the sludge samples, which are key parameters used to calculate process control metrics. The reference method chosen by this lab for the total solids (TS) determination in this sludge is: CNR IRSA 2 Q 64 Vol 2 1984 / Newsletter of the analytical methods CNR IRSA n.2: 2008. The adaptation of an automated method to meet the regulations has been checked, and accreditation was granted by Accredia (Accredia – L’Ente Italiano di Accredditamento – the Italian accreditation authority).
By using automated instruments such as the TGA to handle this analysis, Veritas is able to analyze around 6,000 samples annually, improving the precision of the process. Handling errors are reduced, and the automated software controls the software to a higher accuracy than manual testing would have allowed.
To learn more about how Veritas is handling wastewater treatment, read our white paper.
