CH2M Hill

Water has become one of the most critical operational resources for food and beverage manufacturing today. As a central component of nearly every process — including the washing of raw ingredients, processing of ingredients, pasteurization, cooling, steam generation, and clean-in-place (CIP) operations and filling of finished products — a consistent and high-quality water supply is fundamental. This, however, coincides with increased scrutiny in wastewater discharge, increasing water scarcity, ever rising utilities expenses, and urgent ESG goals.

A University of Tasmania trial has used a mobile laboratory equipped with portable liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology to test soil and water on site and provide an early indication of PFAS contamination within six hours.

Plastic pollution has become a global environmental crisis, with an estimated 11 million tons of plastic entering the oceans each year. As larger plastic debris breaks down into microplastics, these tiny particles are transported throughout marine ecosystems by ocean currents, threatening marine life and ultimately entering the human food chain.

A new review shows how machine learning, computer vision, and predictive modeling could improve microplastic detection while revealing that wastewater treatment may shift much of the pollution from water into sewage sludge and agricultural soils.

Condition-monitoring specialist Samotics has developed a new capability to detect burst rising mains, one of the wastewater network’s most challenging and least visible failures. Developed in collaboration with Yorkshire Water and Southern Water, and using verified data from real bursts across both networks, the platform gives water companies earlier warnings on assets that are difficult to monitor. 

ASTM International’s water committee (D19) is developing a proposed test method that uses existing sample preparation protocols to measure microplastics in water using infrared technology. The proposed standard (WK87463) includes methods for automated analysis of smaller particles using infrared microscopy, and characterization of larger particles with a microscope or the naked eye, followed by confirmation with a benchtop infrared spectrometer.