Analytical Services
We are able to offer a wide variety of chemical analyses on either a full project basis or as analytical service alone. The services provided by us extend to the supply of suitable sample containers and assistance with sample collection and sample preservation. The data processing system used provides facilities for fast recording and retrieval of analytical results. An extensive quality control program ensures the accuracy of analytical results.
In addition to offering general environmental chemical analyses, we specialise in a number of analytical services including:
- Analysis of organohalogens in waters, sediments, natural and man-made materials.
- Analysis of oxyhalide disinfection by-products (bromate, chlorite and chlorate) in drinking waters, environmental samples and disinfected food stuffs (e.g. meat carcasses).
- Analysis of processing chemicals (frothers, collectors, depressants, flocculants) in mineral flotation pulps, process water streams and receiving environments.
- Assessment of mine wastes for AMD potential including standard static and kinetic tests, sulfur speciation analysis and surface and mineralogical analysis.
- Airborne VOC analysis including identification of odorous compounds.
- Analysis of samples taken from indoor air.
Available Analytical Services
We can provide a range of chemical analyses in the following areas:
Organohalogens in waters, sediments, natural and man-made materials
Personnel at Levay & Co. Environmental Services Pty Ltd have 30 years of experience in the area of AOX and EOX analysis of environmental samples. The Managing Director was part of the research team that developed the AOX methodology for the German Drinking Water Standards (DIN 38409 H14) in the 1980’s and our personnel were also principal investigators in the Australian National Pulp Mills Research Program, Project A1a: "Development of Standard Methods for Generic Analysis of Halogenated Organics in BEKM Effluents and Environment". This Project was completed in 1995. With this background, our company is one of the world’s leading laboratories for the analysis of AOX and EOX in environmental samples.
- Total organohalogen (TOX) in aqueous and non-aqueous liquids
- Adsorbable organohalogen (AOX) in aqueous samples including fresh, saline and waste waters
- Water-leachable AOX in solids such as soils, trade waste and chlorinated paper products
- Extractable organohalogens (EOX) in soils, sediments, natural (e.g. fish, mussels, meat, plant material) and man-made materials
- Purgable organohalogens (POX) in aqueous samples
Oxyhalide disinfection by-products
The comapny has been offering the analysis of oxyhalide (chlorite, chlorate and bromate) disinfection by-products (DBP) for over twenty years and has become one of the leading laboratories in the analysis of this important class of DBP. We were one of the first laboratories in Australia to offer sub-microgram per litre bromate analysis using PCR technology. We can provide bromate analysis in a range of waters, including high salinity water to a detection limit of 0.5 µg/L. We also offer chlorite and chlorate analysis in a variety of waters from fresh to saline and wastewaters. In addition to aqueous matrices, we have developed the methodology to determine residual chlorite and chlorate in meat and fish products disinfected with chlorine dioxide.
Mineral Processing Pulps, Process Waters, Mine Waters and Environmental Discharge
As part of our participation in research projects and consultancies conducted over the last twenty years on water quality effects on mineral processing, we have developed a range of specialised analytical procedures to determine both the purity and composition of a variety of reagents used during mineral processing, and also residual concentrations of these reagents and their decomposition products in process waters and in waters for environmental discharge. Levay & Co. Environmental Services Pty Ltd is one of the few laboratories in the world which can offer such a comprehensive range of analyses to the mining industry. Available analyses include:
- Activity and composition of xanthate collectors
- Purity and composition of frothers (e.g. MIBC)
- Molecular weight distribution analysis of polydisperse frothers such as PPG and polymer depressants (e.g. polyphosphates, starches and synthetic polymers)
- Frother mass balance in circuit waters (e.g. MIBC, PEG, PPG, alcohol/ester mixtures)
- Residual collectors/promotors (e.g. xanthates, thionocarbamates, dithiophosphinates and dithiophosphates) in process waters
- Residual frothers, depressants, flocculants etc. in process waters
Acid Mine Drainage/Acid Rock Drainage
As co-authors of the ARD Test Handbook
(http://www.amira.com.au/web/documents/downloads/P387AProtocolBooklet.pdf), staff at Levay & Co. Environmental Services Pty Ltd have extensive experience in the use of both static and kinetic ARD assessment methods.
- Mineralogical analysis of solid materials (QXRD, QEMSCAN)
- Bulk and acid-digestible assays of solid materials
- Surface morphology and bulk and surface elemental composition (SEM-EDS, XPS)
- Particle size analysis and surface area (BET) analysis
- Sequential extraction of solid materials to identify and quantify secondary precipitates and amorphous phases and associated adsorbed/co-precipitated materials
- Sulfur speciation of solid and liquid samples including: Total S, Chromium Reducible Sulfur, elemental sulfur, sulfate, sulfide, sulfite, thiocyanate, thiosulfate, trithionate, tetrathionate, and pentathionate
- Iron speciation of liquid samples: total iron (Fe), ferrous iron and ferric iron
- Titratable and chemical Net Acid Generation (NAG) and Acid Neutralising Capacity (ANC) tests of solid materials.
- Kinetic (KNAG) and sequential (SNAG) NAG tests
- Readily available neutralising capacity by acid-buffering characteristic curve (ABCC) test
- Kinetic leach column tests
VOC and Odour Analysis
Staff at Levay & Co. Environmental Services Pty Ltd have many years experience in the assessment of VOC in both aqueous and gaseous samples, with particular emphasis on odorous compounds. As part of our research on the use of activated carbon for the removal of odorous compounds geosmin and MIB, we developed the first solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method for analysis of these compounds in water at low ng/L concentrations. Our SPME analysis has since been adopted by Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (Methods 6040D and 6040E), as it greatly simplified what was previously a very difficult analytical problem.
We have also developed methods for the identification of odorous compounds in air and other gaseous samples. These methods include the use of sniffing-GC, a technique which uses the human nose as a detector following GC analysis of the sample. The results of sniffing-GC are then correlated with GC-MS analysis to identify the particular compound(s) responsible for the odour amongst the many VOC detected in the air or gas sample.
General Water Analysis
We also offer a range of analytical services for aqueous samples including:
- Elemental analysis by ICP-OES (>40 elements)
- Anions by ion chromatography (bromide, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and sulfate; iodide)
- Analysis of Total Carbon (TC), Inorganic Carbon (IC) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in aqueous solutions including high salinity samples by persulfate/high temperature/high pressure combustion
- Total Nitrogen (Total N)
- Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
- Free and total chlorine
- True and apparent colour
- Turbidity
- pH, conductivity, TDS, TSS
- Acidity, alkalinity, free acidity
