A Rapid, Portable Measurement for Oil and Grease Levels in Wastewater

Wilks InfraCal Analysers are fixed filter IR instruments that have been used to test oil content levels in produced water on offshore drilling platforms for over 45 years. They are now proving invaluable for industrial wastewater as they provide a rapid on-site test which saves money and time and is ideal for non-technical users. 

Industrial and food processing plants that have high levels of fats, oil and grease (FOG) in their effluent are faced with stricter wastewater regulations to avoid accumulations of FOG that cause sanitary sewer overflows (SSO). InfraCal Analysers provide accurate, easy on-site analysis to help both regulators and industry reduce excessive oil/grease discharges and comply with permit requirements. These analysers provide on-site results in 10-15 minutes, eliminating the wait for remote lab results which can take several days to a week. The extraction and measurement procedure is simple enough for an operator with minimal training to do the analysis. 

Both the InfraCal Model HATR-T2 and new InfraCal 2 ATR-SP, use hexane, pentane or Vertrel MCA for the extraction process. Measurement data from either model will correlate to EPA Method 1664 as both procedures are based on evaporation techniques and measure the residual oil and grease. They are equipped with an exposed, easy to clean cubic zirconia horizontal attenuated total reflection (HATR) stainless-steel sample stage on which the extract is deposited for analysis. The InfraCal Model HATR-T2 has a minimum detectable limit of 8 ppm oil in water and the InfraCal 2 ATR-SP will measure down to 0.3 ppm.

The InfraCal Model CVH and new InfraCal 2 Model TRANS-SP are based on US EPA Methods 413.2 and 418.1 and ASTM D7066, which uses Freon 113, perchloroethylene, or S-316, as the extracting solvent. Since the oil concentration is measured directly in the solvent, light end volatile components are retained and measured. The InfraCal Model CVH has a minimum detectable limit of 2 ppm oil in water. It was one of the instruments used to develop the ASTM D7066 oil in water method. The InfraCal 2 TRANS-SP will measure down to 0.1 ppm.

In addition to lower detection limits and a touch screen display, the InfraCal 2 analysers have added features which include multiple calibrations to cover a larger range of analyses, unlimited data storage that tags measurements with analyst, date and time, and security features with different user access levels.

For further information on the InfraCal Analysers for measuring oil and grease levels in wastewater, contact Wilks – A Spectro Inc. Company, email or visit these web links: Oil in Water/Soil Analysers, Introducing Infracal 2 and a guide to choosing your Infracal.