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US 2015/0087011 A1Published application
Device and method for the determination and monitoring of water toxicity
OwnerPompeo Moscettainventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for analysis and monitoring of toxicity in waters is described. The device is specifically devised for determining toxicity in waters in several samples at the same time and in quick time with a high degree of accuracy and precision. The device has application in the field of controlling and monitoring the water resources and in the field of the ecotoxicological analyses
Claims13
A device based upon random access technology with direct reading for analysis and monitoring of toxicity in waters, comprising:
- an aqueous sample storage module;
- an aqueous buffer storage module;
- and
- a dispensing module;
- a reaction tray configured to accommodate reaction cuvettes;
- a washing module of said reaction cuvettes;
- and
- one or more luminometric and/or fluorimetric measuring modules arranged at predefined positions of said reaction tray.
5 more elements
A process for continuous analysis and monitoring of aqueous samples, comprising the following steps:
- transferring aqueous samples from a water supply or drainage network or from a natural or artificial water body into a device of random access type;
- rehydrating one or more phials of microorganisms;
- metering water aliquots inside one or more cuvettes positioned on a reaction tray;
- metering aliquots of said aqueous samples, in amounts analogous to said water aliquots added into said blank cuvettes, or in lesser volumes, followed by additions of complementary volumes of water, inside one or more sample cuvettes positioned on said reaction tray;
- metering aliquots of one or more aqueous buffers inside said blank cuvettes and said sample cuvettes;
- metering aliquots of said microorganisms inside said blank cuvettes and said sample cuvettes;
- measuring at preset times, for a determined time interval under bioluminescence and/or fluorescence, photons emitted by said blank cuvettes and by said sample cuvettes;
- detecting, where a significant change in light emission has been recorded as a result of the contact of said aliquots of said microorganisms with said aliquots of said aqueous samples, the presence of contaminants in said aqueous samples;
- and
- removing and unloading said aliquots of said microorganisms, said aliquots of said aqueous buffers, said aliquots of water and said aliquots of said aqueous samples from said blank cuvettes and from said sample cuvettes;
- wherein the handling of said aliquots is autonomously and automatically managed by a mechanical arm equipped with three degrees of freedom.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.