AlgaeTorch

The quick-and-easy portable measuring instrument. Switch on, dip in, read off!

The bbe AlgaeTorch is a handy instrument for the measurement of microalgae and cyanobacteria in all types of water, both fresh and saline. The AlgaeTorch measures chlorophyll-a of intact cells without sample preparation. A complete measurement needs less than 20 seconds. No sampling or preparation is necessary.

Measurement of algal concentrations via fluorescence

The bbe AlgaeTorch uses in vivo fluorescence of algae cells: the algae pigments are selectively excited by coloured LEDs and emit red fluorescence light as a natural phenomenon. The intensity of the chlorophyll fluorescence is used to determine all phytoplankton as chlorophyll-a, here blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) and total microalgae. The calculation is based on the calibration of the AlgaeTorch with real microalgae. The result is shown immediately on the display and stored in the internal memory. An encapsulated USB port enables subsequent data transfer to a PC. The PC software is supplied free of charge.

Automatic turbidity compensation

Suspended particles in the water affect the chlorophyll determination. The built-in turbidity measurement compensates for such effects automatically. The benefit is the simultaneous turbidity correction during chlorophyll measurement which makes subsequent correction unnecessary, improves the accuracy and enables the evaluation of the results at site. The turbidity value is shown in the display.

Stand alone and online operation

The instrument is robust and completely sealed. The AlgaeTorcht is operated through the transparent housing using capacity keys. The key actions are confirmed by a vibration signal. In this way it is possible to ensure safe operation of the instrument even in a wet environment. The instrument is deployable down to depth of 10 m (optionally 100 m with the AlgaeTorch 100). No power cable is needed for operation due to the internal rechargeable batteries. The AlgaeTorch 10 is not conceived as an instrument for long-term submersed measurement.

The AlgaeTorch 100 can perform submersed chlorophyll measurement online connected to a cable to maximum 30 m depth. Different lengths of cable extensions (10, 20 and 30 m) are available for profiling and data transfer. The built-in pressure sensor in the AlgaeTorch 100 traces the depth. All results are visualized on the screen with the connected PC using bbe++ software.