Sunday, August 22, 2021

APPLICATION OF PH METERS

APPLICATION OF PH Analysis

Where and why is pH measurements made?

pH value measurements are made in a wide variety of applications: As one of the primary indicators of quality, pH plays a vital role in myriad of industries.

v THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

v THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

v THE FOOD INDUSTRY

v THE COSMETIC INDUSTRY

v THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT

v THE WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT

v AQUACULTURE

v AQUARIUM & FISH TANK

v THE POOL & SPA INDUSTRY

v THE HYDROPHONIC INDUSTRY

v THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY


 

v THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

 

 



Analysis of ph in comprehensive drug product testing that investigates metrics including performance, quality, and safety plays vital role. The basic understanding of pH and its influence on drug solubility, stability, and absorption is vitally important. The solubility of a weak acid or base is often pH dependent. Most drugs are weakly acidic or basic substances and are thus ionized at physiologic pH.

In the slurry pH method a concentrated suspension of the solid in water is prepared and the pH is measured by potentiometry. The pH of the concentrated slurry is considered to reflect the pH of the solid surface.

Dosage forms, particularly liquids (such as solutions, suspensions, and emulsions), may have pH values outside the pH 1 to 8 range. Higher pH values of pharmaceutical liquids are often required to make the drug more soluble, or to maintain good stability and an adequate shelf life.

v THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY




 The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products

Determination of pH is a critical and ubiquitous operation whenever water is used in the chemical process industries such as Heavy chemicals, Fine chemicals, Fertilizers, Paints and detergent, Cement, Ceramics,  Soaps, Glass, Pharmaceutical, Plastics, etc.

 

 

v THE FOOD INDUSTRY





In food industry a known PH value is useful for the taste and preservation of food products and ensures the proper composition of biotechnology. Knowing ph of food is the primary factor for its quality assurance.

a)    MEAT INDUSTRY: 

 



A storage life is based on how meat is controlled and monitored. After slaughtering pH curve of meat changes as a result of bacterial growth the ph value changes make it rotten. The ph of meat lies 5.2 to 7.0.

b)   DAIRY INDUSTRY 





 Quality control at dairies: fresh milk has a pH-value of 6.6 - 6.8 @ 25C. During Storing the pH value decreases as low as 5.8, milk becomes sour and coagulation at a pH value of 4.7

c)    THE BAKING INDUSTRY 




 Quality control and efficient production in bakeries: dough needs a low pH value to rise, bread size depends on its pH value, and at lower pH bread raises much.

d)   THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY



The beverage industry (also known as the drink industry) manufactures drinks and ready to drink products. Bottled water, soft drinks, energy drinks, milk products, coffee and tea-based products, nutritional drinks, and alcohol products. Fizzy drinks have ph around 2.5 to 3.5. Lemon has a pH of around 2.5, but the pH of Coca-Cola hits 2.3 because of all the phosphoric acid coke contains.

 

In-Line meters are useful as they monitor the process till the bottling. Most carbonated drinks, which are approximately 94% water, have pH around 2.5 to 3.5, and hence are highly acidic

v THE WATER TREATMENT PLANT  


 

To maintain necessary water quality standards during various industrial processes ph is essential for the quality of services and goods. When these impurities are removed, operations efficiency will be improved, heating and cooling will be more efficient, and effectively maintain compliance. For continuous monitoring of pH levels in a tank or pipe, an industrial sensor is used. Water treatment is the act or process of making water more potable or useful for drinking, by purifying, clarifying, softening or deodorizing it.

 

Þ   The ideal pH reading for drinking water is 7.

 

 

v WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT



During wastewater treatment (sewage or recycle water), heavy metals, organic compounds, and other toxic substances are removed from water; pH levels need to be adjusted during this process by adding chemicals to the water to separate dissolved waste from the liquid. Managers need to monitor pH levels to ensure that water can safely pass to the next phase of treatment so that they end up with pure, safe water at the end of the cleaning process.

 

Þ   The ideal pH reading for usage is between 7.2 and 7.8.

 

Differential pH Sensors

Differential pH sensors work somewhat differently than combination pH sensors in that they come equipped with three electrodes. While the first two electrodes are the same as the ones used in combination sensors, the third one is a metal ground electrode that can be very beneficial for the prevention of reference fouling

This type of sensor is considered to be a heavy-duty sensor because of its third electrode.

While it’s possible for a standard pH sensor to become contaminated whenever the pH levels change, the usage of a third electrode acts as a buffer for the measuring electrode, which ensures an accurate reading. As such, these sensors should hold up for longer and are ideal for tough wastewater and industrial applications.


v THE COSMETIC INDUSTRY



To ensure good quality, suitable viscosity, color / odor and to ensure durability of the cosmetics the use of a pH meter with a special glass electrode is one of the well-known methods of pH measurement in shampoos, liquid cleansing toners and foams, gels and many other substances (containing water).

  

Þ   The ideal pH for standard cosmetic products (both hair and skin), is between 4.5 ... 5.5.

 

v AQUACULTURE



 

Aquaculture is a multibillion-dollar industry that is responsible for supplying seafood. To keep aquatic creatures alive and ensure they’re healthy enough to be consumed, companies in this space need to monitor changes in pH levels on a regular basis.

 

 

Þ   The fish thrive in pH levels between 6.5 and 9.0 and almost all fresh sea foods have value of around 6.2.

Only in the Argentinean Legislation (Argentine Food Code), the fish is classified as unfit for consumption when pH>7.5 and the ammoniac nitrogen content exceeds 125mg 100g-1 dry matter and abnormal sensorial characteristics. The pH 7.0 should be adopted as the maximum limit for condemnation, which proves the divergence in pH values between species.

v THE POOL & SPA INDUSTRY



To determine how many sterilizing agents (e.g., chlorine) you need to put in the water to maintain a safe swimming environment you need to measure pH levels. pH combination electrode is used for community swimming pool or a private spa, When pH levels are high or low swimmers’ skin and eyes may get irritated and can damage the plaster of a pool or spa.

 

 

Þ   The ideal pH reading for a spa is between 7.2 and 7.8.

 

v HYDROPONICS

 



Growing plants in a nutrient-enriched water-based solution is called hydroponics. As the nutrient balance or pH level of the water swings too much in one direction, plants can die rather quickly. To this end, one has to keep a close eye on pH levels at all times.

When water is involved in an industrial application, it’s likely that water quality characteristics—including pH levels—need to be measured to ensure safety and compliance.

Þ   The ideal pH reading for a hydroponic nutrient is 5.5 to 6.0 as compared to soil it is higher.

 

v  RESEARCH




Water plays an integral role in many research projects. While the requirements of each experiment are unique, lab science demands highly accurate results. In experiments, researchers need to monitor pH levels to ensure high-quality findings that can be repeated. For example, different types of bacteria thrive in environments with different pH levels. To reach accurate conclusions, it is, therefore, critical to monitor pH levels in any experiment involving bacteria.

 

Þ   variable

 

v AQUARIUMS AND FISH TANKS



To keep fish and other aquatic creatures alive—and to keep fish tanks and aquariums clean—many water composition characteristics need to be proactively monitored, including pH. Otherwise, the water in the aquarium or fish tank will look cloudy and, fish may struggle to survive.


Þ   The ideal pH reading for aquarium is 6.8 to 7.8.

 

v THE AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY





Soil pH will influence both the availability of soil nutrients to plants and how the nutrients react with each other. The study of soil pH is very important in agriculture due to the fact that soil pH regulates plant nutrient availability by controlling the chemical forms of the different nutrients and also influences their chemical reactions.


Þ   The ideal pH reading for a soil is between 5.5 and 7.5.





 


Wednesday, March 10, 2021

HEPA FILTERS


 A journey from gas mask to clean rooms where air quality matters.



                                                     The gas mask used in word war ll







Hepa Filters used nowadays in cleanrooms



The Origin

US Army was working on a secret mission, The Manhattan Project where they were developing the first atomic bomb, the first-ever nuclear weapon, but the problem was that during its manufacturing, the small particles become contaminated with radioactive sources hence there was a critical need to control environmental pollution. 

 These were the early days of World War ll when the British Army sent a piece of paper to the US army which they got from a captured German canister of a gas mask. The US army investigates and found it was highly remarkable efficient against the chemical smoke, so they start duplicating it, and hence the first very highly efficient Hepa filter came into being. This filter was first used in the gas mask then US Army which was finding a way to purify the air in the area where the manufacturing nuclear bomb was carried out, they develop the very first air purifier with this filter paper for the headquarters, thus making the hazardous and toxic-free environment, safe for all humans. The US Army combined the air purifier with a blower and making pleats of the paper to serve as an air passage. The researchers were asked to test the filter efficiency and set it to 99.9% up to 0.1 mm size particles. Later Lamer developed DOP aerosols testing system for filters. Irving Langmuir was asked by US Army to set a recommendation for Hepa filter testing, keeping in view the size of particles of radioactive material he recommended 0.3 microns.


In 1950 these filters were called “absolute filters” after 1950 these filters were named “HEPA filters”. They were commercialized in 1950 and within fifty years it becomes a technology breakthrough in air cleanliness, where the highest level of air cleanliness is required in all fields such as the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, aerospace, data manufacturing, photographic film manufacturing, etc. Its uses expanded to residential areas also where prevention from dust mites, bugs, lead, mold spores, pet dander, smoke, pollens, hair, etc. is required the most. Moving towards high standards, the cleanroom areas are getting more precise day by day from hospitals to industrial production where air quality matters a lot, the Hepa Filters are essential. From making to maintaining a cleanroom set methods for checking the efficiency of these filters is needed regularly.


TESTING THE EFFICIENCY OF HEPA FILTERS

Their profound benefits and expanded and extensive uses make them available all over the world and countries developed their national standards according to their requirement. The world is a global village so the requirement of International standards that can be used as, set values globally, as well as merge their national or regional values is needed most. To plan such a classification scheme for an industry that already has both regional and national standards all over the world is a tough job, as the class of filters changes as with the difference of a decimal place of a point. When talking to high-efficiency air Filtration especially for Hepa filters that include hygiene of human beings to prevent them from air-borne contaminations the standards must be internationally recognized. 

From its origin till now, different regional and national standards were developed. 

 

 

  

 

 



 

 Standards for testing Hepa Filter Efficiency

 

 

1.In 1956 the first standard introduce was MIL-STD -282 that includes the IEST-RP test procedure specifies certain particle size 0.3, 0.2 -0.3, or 0.1-0.2 micron. 

2.In 1988 Standard EN-1822 was introduced in Europe based on MPPS(Most Penetrating Particle Size)

3.ISO has issued a new standard in 2011 i.e. ISO 29463 that includes the old classification with additional criteria thus making it internationally acceptable. It has now extended filter classes to compromise between all current classifications.

In the below table, I have shown the comparison of all three standards.

 




 

It is clear from above the table that all standards are now compromised  by moving towards more precision classification of filters according to MPPS in ISO 29463.

 

This standard has obsoleted the use of traditional methods using photometric and polydisperse aerosol and focusing on discrete particle counting with MPPS(Most Penetrating Particle Size).

Since it diverges from traditional non-discrete particle measurement to individually distinct particle counting, a comparison of values of both methods still has to find out.

 

This method includes a five-step procedure for checking Hepa filter efficiency. 

ISO 29463 2011,

Part 2: Aerosol production, measuring equipment, and particle-counting statistics.

Part 3: Testing flat sheet filter media.

Part 4: Test method for determining leakage of filter elements-Scan method

Part 5: Test method for filter elements

Since the test method using non-discrete particle measurement is not included as we have not yet find the comparison measurement of both methods. 

It establishes a procedure for the determination of the efficiency based on a particle counting method using a liquid (or a solid) test aerosol and allows a standardized classification of these filters in terms of their efficiency, both local and integral efficiency.

 

 

References

 

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/109135059800300111

https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:29463:-1:ed-2:v1:en