Lab professionals at wastewater treatment plants recently got a new tool to monitor water quality and prevent environmental contamination when Thermo Fisher Scientific released its chemical oxygen demand (COD) analyzer, the Orion™ 3106.

Treatment plants use COD analysis to detect levels of organic pollutants in water, and early identifi cation of these contaminants can indicate an issue in the treatment process of wastewater.

“By determining organic pollutants in surface water or wastewater, COD measurement can provide a useful indicator of water quality, something that is essential to the environmental monitoring industry,” said Giovanni De Dona, global process business manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific, in a recent release. “By adding this new COD analyzer to our portfolio of portable and benchtop Orion water analysis instruments, we aim to provide environmental chemists with a complete solution to liquid analysis and measurement.”

The new Orion instrument combines a digestion step with colorimetric analysis to measure the concentration of organic compounds that can affect water quality. Particularly high levels of COD may require additional treatment processes. The presence of high COD levels during the disinfection process will lead to additional hypochlorite dosing. This results in the formation of chloramines, which, if present in high levels, can be carcinogenic, Thermo Fisher Scientific stated in its product release.

Those concerned about the running costs of the instrument will be relieved to know that the analyzer is designed to reduce ongoing operating costs due to its low reagent consumption and maintenance. Also, by controlling the treatment process, users can reduce disinfection costs. The system shouldn’t require much training as its interface simplifies navigation for a better operator experience.

For more information, visit https://www.thermoscientific.com/en/ product/orion-3106-cod-analyzer.html