buy a HPLC

[aji jo]

Hi at All
I'm a Jose, and my company would buy a HPLC. We could analyse water quality , The purpose of this system is to monitor the quality and type of water into different locations like water in civil construction sites, wellwater, portable water, ponds water, tank water etc
. Can you help me to search a best configuration of HPLC for my laboratory?
Thanks

[Mark Tracy]

Do you have a list of specific tests that you want to perform? It is too hard to recommend a configuration without knowing the requirements.

[DR]

Right - if you're looking for stuff that's supposed to be there (traces of nitrogenous species, chloride, bromide etc.), you may well want an IC. If you're looking for things that are not supposed to be there, you may prefer a LC or even a GC...

[aji jo]

see this is our testing parameters

PH
DISSOLVED OXYGEN
AMMONIA NITROGEN NH3
BOD
COD
TOTAL HYDRO CARBON
OXIDISED NITROGEN
TOTAL NITROGEN
INORGANIC PHOSPHATES
SULPHIDES as (H2S)
PHENALICS
CADMIUM
COPPER
CHROMIUM
IRON
NICKLE
LEAD
COLIFORM BACTERIA

AMMONIA NH3-N
OIL

COND — Conductivity
TEMP — Temperature
SAL — Salinity
NH4 - Ammonium Ion
OIL — Total Hydro Carbon
COD-Chemical oxygen demand
TURB - Turbidity
FLOW RATE
T.S.S. (Total suspended solids)
CHLORIDE
H2S
SULPHATE
AMMONIA
GREASE & OIL
T.D.S.
HARDNESS
PHOSPHATE (P04)
HEAVY METALS (Cu, Zn, Pb)


thanks
jo

[tom jupille]

I would say that an IC system would be a better fit for much of what you want to do compared to a more general HPLC system. And, of course, many of the tests on your list are not chromatographic at all.

Dionex is far and away the largest supplier of IC systems; I would guess Metrohm is a distant second.

[Alfred88]

Dear aji jo:
I see that you have a long list! Perhaps missing Cyanide and Mercury? ( I used to work for an env. lab.)

Most of the tests listed are wet chem. You can automate some with an IC, in particular some small anions (Cl-, NO3-, etc.). I would recommend Dionex IC (model ICS1000 is ~$23K with autosampler).

For heavy metals (Pb...) you need an AA or better yet ICP (~$100K). Sample prep is by acid digestion, but if the result is high, dilution is needed (I am talking about env. samples).

Alfred.

[Mark Tracy]

A Dionex IC system would be an excellent choice! (What do expect me to say?) You can do lithium, sodium, potassium, ammonia, calcium and magnesium in one run. With a change of column and eluent, you can do chloride, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, and various other anions in one run. There are also chromatographic methods for the heavy metals (http://www1.dionex.com/en-us/lp44336.html). You can even do sulfide and cyanide. You can even do many of the traditional HPLC methods. Doing all that on one instrument would require one of the better models.

Getting a new laboratory up and running is hard work but very rewarding. Best of luck.

[aji jo]

Dear all

i want to do all these in one instrument ( for an env. lab)
is i do these all in Dionex IC (model ICS1000) ? including heavy metals, chloride, nitrite, phosphate, sulfate lithium, sodium, potassium, ammonia, calcium, magnesium, Cyanide and Mercury
which model is better for me

thanks
jo

[Bruce Hamilton]

You may find that you have to analyse these according to standard methods approved by regulators. The methods will specify which instrumental techniques can be used, and the required detction limits. Consequently, one instrument is unlikely to provide all of the data you specify.

As noted above, a suitably-configured Ion Chromatograph would be a vety good starting point. As has been mentioned many times before, it's the availability of excellent local support that defines the instrument brand when there are several choices.

Please keep having fun,

Bruce Hamilton

[Mark Tracy]

For guidance on specific models, please contact your local Dionex sales representative. http://www1.dionex.com/en-us/lp5537.html

As Bruce says, you may have specific legal requirements in your country that define the method (or at least the performance) that the regulatory agencies want. You really need that information before you buy anything. You might want to discuss these issues with the agency so that you don't have any surprises. Some places don't care how you do it as long as you can demonstrate that it meets the performance requirements; other places insist that you use a specific procedure with no deviations allowed.