Dr. Kyle Elkin, USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, PA 16802.
USDA’s fully automated, field portable instrument, a field portable ion chromatograph (FPIC), can be used for monitoring nutrients and inorganic contaminants in any fresh water source.
Technology overview:
- Produces no waste
- Uses less than 50 mL water per month
- Solar power capable
- Adaptable to a range of contaminants
- Comparable sensitivity to bench-top instruments
Instrumentation features:
- Fully unattended operation with adaptive sampling rate
- Real-time data acquisition, processing and reporting
- Telemetry capabilities for data viewing, or error reporting
- High surface area filtering for extended sampling life between scheduled maintenance interval