Automation of Inorganic Assays with Flow Injection Analysis (FIA)Wet Chemistry Automation - Session 2
Oral Presentation
Prepared by I. Lahdesmaki
FIAlab Instruments, Inc., 2151 N Northlake Way, Suite 100, Seattle, WA, 98103, United States
Contact Information: ilkka@flowinjection.com; (206) 258-2290
ABSTRACT
Colorimetric assays are frequently employed to measure inorganic nutrients (e.g. phosphate, nitrate, ammonia) and toxic chemicals (e.g. cyanide, phenol) in drinking water, wastewater and natural waters. Originally, such methods were run manually but over the years a need for automation arose to address the questions of sample throughput, operator burden and reliability of the results.
Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) offers a unique way to automate colorimetric assays by means of moving liquid flow compared to discrete or segmented flow analysis. The presentation gives an overview of how the FIA technology first came to be and how it has evolved since its inception, and highlights some of the most recent developments in the field. It will also examine the strengths and benefits of FIA, and how FIA has become the market leader for automating inorganic assays. Case studies are presented showing practical benefits that FIA-based automation has offered to environmental laboratories, that both increased productivity, as well as their return on investment
