TONI® is an acronym for TOtal NItrogen. It is a spectrophotometric analysis tool for the measurement of total nitrogen, Kjeldahl nitrogen and/or nitrate content in waste water. Measurements can be carried out either on-line, with continuous analysis, or in the laboratory.The instrument is based on a procedure whereby organic and inorganic nitrogen components are oxidised to nitrate. The present generation of total nitrogen analysis instruments make use of thermal oxidisation at temperatures higher than 800°C. These high temperatures make on-line use very maintenance-intensive and give rise to very real fire and explosion risks. TONI® is the first analyser to make use of a wet chemical oxidation (without UV). This new wet chemical method can be used perfectly well at temperatures below 100°C, while the oxidation efficiency remains higher than with the traditional methods.
Another important innovation is that the same instrument can be used not only for total nitrogen analysis, but also for Kjeldahl nitrogen and nitrates. According to AppliTek, by the time of the Ifest presentation, TONI® will also be able to measure total phosphor in waste water. TONI® may be used in the continuous monitoring of nitrogen discharges in surface water. The efficiency of a waste water purification plant can be assessed using the Stikstofsignaal [Nitrogen Signal], and any necessary interventions in the process can be made at an earlier stage. The price will be 40 to 50% lower than the competing traditional instruments.