Wastewater Standards - Your essential resource for Agilent ULTRA chemical standards

Significance of the Topic

Accurate wastewater analysis relies on high-quality chemical standards to ensure regulatory compliance, method validation, and reproducible results. Agilent’s portfolio of certified reference materials and quality control standards addresses the growing need for comprehensive solutions across a broad range of EPA methods, enabling laboratories to meet stringent environmental monitoring requirements.

Goals and Overview

This white paper catalogs Agilent’s ULTRA chemical standards tailored for wastewater analysis. It presents ready-to-use mixtures, internal and surrogate spiking solutions, and custom formulations designed to support EPA Methods 601 through 1664A. The document also outlines Agilent’s certification framework, market focus, and custom product services.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Production and validation of standards follow a rigorous quality management system including:

• ISO 9001: Quality management across manufacturing
• ISO 17025: Accredited QC laboratory for analytical characterization
• ISO Guide 34: Reference material production with homogeneity and stability testing

Analytical workflows covered by Agilent standards encompass:

• Purge-and-trap GC/ECD and GC/MS for volatile organics (EPA 601, 602, 624)
• GC/FID and derivatization protocols for phenols, haloethers, and herbicides (EPA 604, 611, 615)
• GC/NPD and GC/FPD for pesticides and nitrosamines (EPA 603, 607, 614, 619, 622)
• Capillary GC/MS for PCBs and dioxins (EPA 613, 680)
• HPLC-EC and HPLC-fluorescence for benzidines and PAHs (EPA 605, 610)
• Gravimetric extraction and Kuderna-Danish concentration for semi-volatiles and oil & grease (EPA 606, 632, 1311, 1664)

Used Instrumentation

Agilent standards support broad instrumentation platforms:

• Gas chromatography with electrolytic conductivity detector (GC/ECD)
• GC with flame ionization detector (GC/FID)
• GC with nitrogen-phosphorus detector (GC/NPD)
• GC with flame photometric detector (GC/FPD)
• GC/mass spectrometry with EI and CI sources (GC/MS)
• High-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical and fluorescence detection (HPLC/EC, HPLC/FLD)
• Purge-and-trap sample introduction systems
• Automated sample concentrators (Kuderna-Danish)

Key Results and Discussion

Agilent offers over 7,000 standards, including:

• EPA-specified multi-analyte mixtures for volatile organics, phenols, pesticides, PCBs, and extractables
• Individual internal and surrogate standards for accurate recovery monitoring
• Custom reference materials at three validation levels with traceability and uncertainty data
• Triple certification (ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO Guide 34) assuring product integrity

The pre-formulated kits and spiking solutions simplify method setup, reduce preparation time, and improve consistency across laboratories.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Streamlined compliance with EPA methods for environmental, industrial, and municipal wastewater testing
• Reduced analytical variability through certified concentrations and uncertainty values
• Enhanced laboratory efficiency by eliminating in-house standard preparation
• Traceable documentation and Certificates of Analysis for audit readiness
• Global availability and rapid turnaround for custom formulations

Future Trends and Opportunities

• Expansion of standards for emerging contaminants such as PFAS and microplastics
• Integration of isotopically labeled standards for high-resolution mass spectrometry workflows
• Online access to digital certificates and automated QC data management
• Development of multi-omics reference materials combining chemical and biological markers

Conclusion

Agilent’s comprehensive suite of wastewater standards and certified reference materials provides laboratories with validated solutions across all key EPA methods. Backed by robust quality systems and global support, these products enable reliable, reproducible, and efficient analysis essential for environmental protection and regulatory compliance.