KETOS, Inc., a water intelligence innovator, today announced that its industry-leading KETOS SHIELD now monitors for additional parameters including ammonia, nitrates and sulfates. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and other organizations can now leverage real-time monitoring for total ammonia and nitrates in water and dozens of other parameters such as inorganic materials, heavy metals and other environmental factors.
High levels of ammonia and nitrates in water can be a result of industrial processes, runoff or leakage from fertilized soil, wastewater, landfills and more. Water supplies most vulnerable to nitrate contamination are in agricultural areas. For drinking water that passes through chloramination, it is essential to closely monitor the nitrite amount in order to identify and avoid nitrification problems.
Sulfates can naturally occur due to the breakdown of organic matters, or as a result of municipal or industrial discharges. Point sources include sewage treatment plants and industrial discharges such as mining, oil & gas, and the manufacturing of fertilizers, dyes, paper, soaps, cosmetics, pesticides, and more.
“CEA needs to have real time analysis of nutrients for the success of their crops, so being able to monitor for nitrates, ammonia and sulfates in real-time will be very beneficial for them, especially aquaponics,” said Meena Sankaran, CEO & Founder of KETOS. “From an environmental perspective, monitoring nitrate levels in surface water, groundwater and run-offs can indicate nutrient pollution which is paramount as regulations align with the need for proactive visibility.”
