Water Quality Center – University of Arizona
Challenge Detected
The Water Quality Center (WQC) Lab is located in the Fleischmann Building of the Environmental Research Laboratory, an off-campus University of Arizona facility. The Lab focuses on water quality and is equipped to perform state-of-the-art chemical and biological analyses.
Biological analyses include bacterial and viral pathogens and indicator organisms. The Lab also performs tests on other environmental samples including soils, wastes, effluents and plant materials.
The mission of the WQC is to conduct research that evaluates physical, chemical and microbial processes that affect the quality of surface and subsurface waters utilized for potable supplies.
As part of on going efforts, WQC are looking for new technology that provides faster turnaround time for primary analysis that is accurate and dependable, enabling WQC to implement solutions immediately when contaminations are detected.
Solution Detected
TECTA-PDS developed the TECTA™ B16 to provide accurate and fully automated testing for E. coli and Total Coliforms much faster than traditional incubation methods.
The TECTA™ B16 is an automated microbiological platform that uses patented PolymerPartition technology. This platform is simple, sensitive and flexible, making sample results available at any time of the day.
The TECTA™ B16 supports the WQC process by providing an automated, rapid E. coli and Total Coliforms detection system for the assessment of microbiological water-quality and assuring the safety of drinking water.
Success Detected
The TECTA™ B16 is currently used by WQC to provide faster notification of E. coli contamination. In the event that E. coli is detected, WQC then performs standard protocol testing allowing the lab to focus on coming up with a solution on the spot when there is a contamination, as opposed to waiting days to react.
The time of detection needed for the TECTA™ B16 has proven much lower compared to the 24h needed for the IDEXX Quanti-Tray, having an average of 10.621h for the 35.5 C profile and 10.195h for the 41.5C profile, versus the 24h needed for the Quanti-Tray.