A carbon quantifying cell configured to receive a fluid is provided, including two or more electrodes positioned at least partially in the fluid, and meter electronics configured to place an electrical oxidization, polarization, and/or adsorption program across the two or more electrodes and at least partially oxidize carbon materials in the fluid, apply an AC voltage of a predetermined amplitude across the two or more electrodes, measuring the resulting AC current across the two or more electrodes, wherein a ratio of amplitudes and a phase angle difference provides information for calculating a fluid impedance, receive an electrical response of the fluid to the electrical oxidization, polarization, and/or adsorption program, quantify the carbon materials in the fluid using the electrical response, and detect interfering materials in the fluid using the fluid impedance.

An embodiment provides a method for measuring at least one characteristic of an aqueous sample, including: introducing an aqueous sample into a measurement device comprising one or more electrodes; oxidizing a transition metal to produce a higher valent metal by applying an electrical potential between an anode and a cathode of the measurement device; oxidizing, using the higher valent metal as a catalyst, a material within the aqueous sample; measuring a characteristic of the aqueous sample based upon the oxidized material, using a measurement device selected from the group consisting of: an electrochemical measurement device and an optical measurement device; and optimizing the electrical potential and at least one reagent delivered to the measurement device based on the measurement of the characteristic. Other aspects are described and claimed.

According to some embodiments, the present invention may include, or take the form of, a total organic carbon analyzer, featuring an injector, a reactor, condensation components and two three-way valves. The injector may be configured to provide a sample. The reactor may be configured to vaporize the sample received. The condensation components may be configured to condense and trap the sample vaporized by the reactor. The two three-way valves may be arranged between the reactor and the condensation components and configured to allow flow to either bypass or pass through the reactor and the condensation components, while in the bypass mode, the sample being injected at an appropriate rate so as to allow the sample to condense at or near the same rate as the sample is being injected.

A method for determining in situ and in real time at least one suspended sediment property in a medium, the suspended sediment comprising a mineral and an organic fraction. The method comprises the steps of (a) measuring light absorbance with a submersible ultraviolet-visible spectrometer, the ultraviolet-visible spectrometer being configured to analyse to analyse light absorbance at wavelengths which are comprised between 220 nm and 730 nm and of (b) correlating the light absorbance to the properties of the suspended sediment, in various instances by using the Beer-Lambert's law. The method is remarkable in that the step (b) is performed by using one model calibrated for deriving the properties of the suspended sediment from the light absorbance.

An embodiment provides a method for oxidizing organic carbon, including: introducing, in a reaction chamber of a total organic carbon analyzer, a fluid sample comprising organic carbon, wherein the reaction chamber includes an electrochemical cell and wherein the electrochemical cell comprises an SP3 substituted solid carbon electrode doped with a conductivity elevating composition; applying, using a generator, a positive potential to the SP3 substituted carbon electrode, the positive potential being sufficient to oxidize organics in the fluid sample to produce carbonate and partially oxidized organics; introducing, in the reaction chamber, at least one acid reagent comprising a metallic catalyst, prior to or substantially simultaneously during the application of the positive potential to the SP3 substituted carbon electrode, that converts the carbonate and the partially oxidized species to carbon dioxide; and detecting, using at least one detector, the carbon dioxide produced by the oxidation. Other aspects are described and claimed.

In one embodiment, a cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy system includes a cavity-enhanced absorbance cell in which a liquid sample can be provided for purposes of evaluation, the absorbance cell having diffusely reflective inner surfaces, a light source configured to emit light into the liquid sample within the absorbance cell, and a light detector configured to capture the light after it has passed through the liquid sample.

Devices, methods, and systems employing a multivariate optical computing sensor comprising a multivariate optical element calibrated to independently measure an electromagnetic spectral pattern of a cultivation characteristic of an algae strain in a cultivating algae water slurry and a detector for receiving output signals indicative of the cultivation characteristic. The cultivation characteristic may include, for example, total organic carbon, total carbohydrate, or fatty acid methyl esters.

A system for wastewater treatment process control comprising a set of measuring means arranged to obtain a dataset, the dataset comprises a plurality of process variables related to a parameter of the wastewater treatment process; a prediction module arranged to receive the dataset and predict the parameter of wastewater treatment process based on a soft sensor; a troubleshooting module arranged to compare the predicted parameter with a predetermined criterion; wherein if the predicted parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion; the troubleshooting module is operable to identify at least one process variable from the plurality of process variables which causes the predicted parameter not to satisfy the predetermined criterion and determine whether the identified at least one process variable from the plurality of process variables is controllable. An optimisation module for use in a wastewater treatment system is also disclosed.

A furnace system features a combination of a furnace, a main combustion furnace tube and a disposable guard tube. The main combustion furnace tube is configured to couple and extend from the furnace, made of a quartz tube material, and has a zone for a combustion catalyst or high temperature support configured or formed therein. The disposable guard tube is coupled to the main combustion furnace tube, has a top opening configured to receive and have direct exposure to a liquid sample being injected into the main combustion furnace tube, and also has a bottom opening to provide the liquid sample to the main combustion furnace tube for processing in the zone for the combustion catalyst or high temperature support.

Methods for enhanced oil recovery from subterranean formations by treating a produced water prior to injection into the subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir and manipulating produced water compositions to increase the rate and/or amount of oil that is recovered from producing wells and/or a hydrocarbon reservoir. The treatment of the produced water can increase the pH of the water from about 0.75 to about 2.0.