Problems we address

  1. Issues in in-situ detection of bacteriological contamination of potable water.
  2. Challenges in assuring adequate and cost-effective flocculation/coagulation of suspended solids
  3. In-situ identification of log-removal of biologicals and the total suspended solids of a filtration system (whether it’s a backwashable filter, micro/nanofiltration battery, or a reverse-osmosis system)
  4. Complications in assuring adequate and cost-effective disinfection (chemical and/or UV)

Adequate and cost-effective disinfection (chemical and/or UV)

It is known that water-borne pathogens can be substantially more difficult to deactivate by disinfection (by either chemical or UV methods) when they reside within other suspended particles. Instances of having pathogens attached to or residing inside other particles lead to waste of disinfecting chemicals and/or inadequate UV treatment and presents a danger to customers. The Innosol is capable of in-situ quantifiable detection and measuring concentration of such microorganisms in so that it may be mitigated.

In-situ detection of bacteriological contamination of potable water

During recent years many instruments have been developed to address water safety issues. Advancements in detection of dissolved chemical contaminants have been made, but in-situ detection of bacteriological contamination of potable and wastewater remains challenging. Though it is a high-priority issue for water treatment facilities and government authorities, detection and identification of biological substances in water and, more generically, in a liquid, is performed off-line typically using colony-growth methods which take at least two to three days.

There are several reasons for this:

  • there is a large variety of biological contaminants
  • typical in-situ detectors of suspended solids (such as particle counters) cannot distinguish between biological, organic, and inorganic particles1
  • the contaminant may be as yet uncharacterized.
  • very low and often non-homogeneous concentrations of biological contaminants in large volume of water may not be possible to detected using commercially available methods
  • Modern on-chip detectors of microorganisms work with one or a small group of biological suspended solids these detectors are designed for very small quantities of water (typically, few milliliters per minute) which does not give any representation of the actual microbiological content in thousands and millions of liters of water processed by a water treatment facility on a daily basis.

The two- to three-day delay (in some cases as long as one week) in detection of biological contaminants represents a gap in the quality assurance of potable water.

The innovative technology and instrumentation Innosol fills the gaps in water treatment process monitoring and optimization mentioned above by providing in-situ detection and analysis of inorganic, organic, and biological contaminants simultaneously yet separately while in-situ alerting on undesirable change of concentration (absolute and/or relative) of the said suspended solids.

The ability to detect, size, count, and type particles for a wide range of sizes, allows the Innosol to offers significant economic and water quality & safety benefits at various stages of water treatment and water distribution process, including source water analysis, flocculation/coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection, water storage and water distribution systems.

Several models of Innosol instrumentation have been developed depending on the served industries and the applications. Innosol-WTF, Innosol-WDS, and Innosol-WSF have been designed specifically for Drinking Water Treatment Industry applications. Read about how the Innosol instrumentation serves these applications here. Read about the case studies conducted at reputable Canadian facilities using the Innosol instrumentation here.

1A biological contaminant is a viable microorganism in contrast to organic contaminants which contain organic components but are not viable microorganisms.

The North American Water Quality Association WQA selected the Innosol technology and instrumentation as one of the most important innovations. Search for Innosol here

"...Innovative Multi-Application Large Volume Contaminant Detector: Reduces Process Costs, Monitors Product Water Quality, and Enhances Consumer Safety...The new instrumentation platform, Innosol-PLF, allows in-situ (online) detection, sizing, counting, and advanced monitoring of a wide range of biological and inorganic suspended solids (and more) in thousands of gallons of water and other liquid media, allowing for a number of unique cost-saving applications in industrial, commercial, and municipal markets..."

See how Innosol instrumentation can benefit your facility

The value added summary breaks down the benefits of Innosol instrumentation stage by stage in water treatment processes so you can see what applies to your facility.

Limited-time offer

Free-of-charge on-site in-situ in-depth analysis of performance of all stages of water treatment processes and distribution.

Managers or engineers of Canadian and US Drinking water treatment facilities and water distribution systems are offered free-of-charge help to learn in depth performance of all water-treatment processes at their sites to identify ways of improving water quality, water safety, and economic efficiency of potable water production and distribution. Strict confidentiality guaranteed where requested.

Learn more and apply.