ColiMinder Bacterial Contamination Monitoring

The demand for water of adequate quality is constantly increasing. The reuse of water and the development of a well-functioning circular economy are the most important building blocks of a sustainable society. At the same time, water and wastewater processes as well as distribution networks are increasingly automated and automatically monitored. Digitalization is also gaining ground in the water industry. Large units are simulated using digital twins to ensure efficiency and safety. Both processes and simulations need reliable input and relevant measurement data to work efficiently. 

Our Solution

The ColiMinder is a rapid, specific, and fully automatic technology that measures bacterial contamination within 15 minutes. It can be installed directly in a process or it can measure numerous water samples within a short time in mobile applications. 

ColiMinder’s technology is based on the direct measurement of the specific enzymatic activity of the target organisms. This enzymatic measurement method is the only approach that can specifically measure the contamination of water with certain microorganisms.

Equipped with the appropriate reagents, for instance E. coli specific enzymatic activity, the instrument can measure the level of fecal contamination. This enables operational monitoring as recommended by organizations, such as the World Health Organization. 

The ColiMinder is deployed in all water-based applications, ranging from drinking water through surface water to wastewater. It has proven its reliability, stability, and robustness in many customer applications worldwide as well as in scientific studies.

According to a recent comparative study on the measurement of microbiological contamination of drinking water under real conditions, the ColiMinder was the only device capable of detecting 100% of all contaminants (Favere, J., Waegenaar, F., Boon, N., & De Gusseme, B. (2021). Online microbial monitoring of drinking water: How do different techniques respond to contaminations in practice? Water Research, 117387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117387).