
The s::can UV spectro::lyser is the instrument of choice for measuring nitrate and nitrite in Annamox applications such as the DEMON® and SHARON® processes, and both are growing in popularity in the wastewater industry.
Reaction route of conventional Nitrification/Denitrification

Denitrification using Anammox method

In such processes the measurement of nitrite alone becomes critical, firstly to ensure the nitritation process is working correctly but secondly to ensure that little nitrate is being produced.
From an analytical instrumentation perspective, this poses an issue. There are two main methods of determining nitrate and nitrite, one is colorimetric and the other uses UV absorbance.

1: <1nm resolution
The UV only spectro::lyser takes 256 absorbance measurements across the UV region (190-390nm). This means it can take measurements at approximately every 1nm, enabling it to separate out the response from nitrate at 220nm, from nitrite at 210nm.
2: Flexible path length installation and solids compensation algorithms.
s::can spectro::lysers can be installed with very small path lengths (0.5 or 1mm) and have a unique way of reducing the impact on absorbance from suspended solids. By measuring multiple wavelengths and building a model of how solids are contributing to the absorbance, it can filter out the effect ensuring that the response to nitrate and nitrite is accurate even in the highly turbid samples that may be seen in the processes. Using a small path length also ensures the sensor doesn’t get ‘blinded’ by high suspended solids.

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