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Solutions
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Water analysis Conducting and evaluating physical-chemical and microbiological water testing in accordance with the German Drinking Water Ordinance and other relevant legal regulations.
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Testing of products and devices Initial testing of products and materials in contact with drinking water. Our Test Centre is accredited for more than 200 different product standards according to DIN EN ISO 17025. Test and develop UV technology.
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Treatment technologies Develop sustainable water supply concepts. Implement, monitor and optimise new technologies. Test and further develop existing treatment methods.
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Micropollutants and microorganisms Develop and improve the method of determination using cutting-edge equipment. Investigate the presence, behaviour and retention of inorganic and organic micropollutants in the water cycle and drinking water treatment.
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Network management and drinking water installation Microbiological quality change, deposit formation and cleaning and optimisation of the distribution network operation. Evaluate and analyse corrosion damage.
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Risk management Support for water supply companies to establish a Water Safety Plan. Benefit from our extensive expertise.
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Environmental biotechnology and contaminated sites Evaluation of the decomposition potential at contaminated locations. Development of sustainable ways to eliminate pollutants from the environment. Employ a combination of microbiological and technical methods.
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Research
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Resource protection Protection of water resources, risk management in water catchment areas
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Environmental biotechnology Technical and biological methods for the elimination of microorganisms, microbiological degradation processes
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Microorganisms Developing and applying reliable and sensitive detection methods, evaluating disinfection and treatment measures
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Micropollutants Determination of micropollutants, transformation products and microplastics reliably and sensitively, investigate behaviour in the water cycle, qualified risk assessment
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Waste water and water cycle Use of biological decomposition, developing integrated water supply and waste water management concepts
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New technologies and products Testing and optimizing processes and products to treat, disinfect and post-process drinking water for efficiency, security and robustness
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Asset management and infrastructure Development of management strategies and innovative tools to evaluate the condition of the supply network and its components
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Safety and security, digitalisation and management Digital transformation in public drinking water supply, increase the safety and security of drinking water supply
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- Projects
- About TZW
- Information

Chemical and microbiological analysis
Using the utmost precision and reliability, we undertake physical-chemical and microbiological testing for our customers in accordance with legal regulations such as the German Drinking Water Ordinance or the Water Framework Directive. In addition, we offer the quantitative determination of inorganic and organic micropollutants using modern and high-performance methods of analysis and instruments in the most diverse matrices (drinking water, groundwater, surface water, waste water, sewage sludge, soil, suspended matter and sediments). A key focus is on the continuous development and improvement of methods of trace analysis for both water and solid samples. We are accredited according to DIN EN ISO 17025 for the testing of drinking water, untreated water, groundwater and surface water.
Microbiological detection methods range from the specific detection of indicator organisms or pathogens to the enrichment of large volumes of water to improve the sensitivity of the detection methods to the analysis of microbial substances such as AOC (assimilable organic carbon). Additionally, we use the latest molecular biological methods to quickly identify the species or microorganisms and to determine antibiotic resistance genes.
What do we offer?
We have methods of analysis for representatives of the following substance groups:
- Trace elements and metals
- Bromide, bromate, chlorite, chlorate, iodide, iodate and perchlorate
- Speciation of arsenic, chromium and selenium
- Pesticides and metabolites (more than 100 single substances including glyphosate, AMPA, N,N-dimethyl sulphamide, desphenyl chloridazon, other PSM metabolites)
- Aromatic sulfonates
- Chelating agents
- Pharmaceutical residues (more than 100 single substances)
- Iodinated X-ray contrast agent/s
- Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (steroidal hormones, alkyl phenols)
- Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Aliphatic amines
- Nitrosamines
- Biocides
- Benzotriazoles
- Artificial sweeteners
- Chlorinated and brominated flame retardants
- Organophosphonic acids
- Nitrification inhibitors
- Surrogate parameters (DOC, TOC, AOX, AOS, AOF, EOF, TOP-assay)
We offer the following range of microbiological detection methods:
- Detection of indicator bacteria according to the German Drinking Water Ordinance: E. coli / coliform bacteria, Enterococci, Clostridium perfringens, colony counts 22 °C, 36 °C
- Detection of pathogens: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella, aeromonads, thermotolerant Campylobacter spp., testing for Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia, testing for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, detection of multiresistances using agar diffusion tests
- Detection of bacteriophages: F-specific RNA bacteriophages, somatic coliphages
- Enrichment methods: To rapidly enrich large volumes of water, TZW has developed practical enrichment methods that enable us to concentrate water volumes of 100 litres and more. Using this methodology, the detection sensitivity for subsequent microbiological analysis (e.g. for the indicator organisms E. coli, coliform bacteria and enterococci) can be increased by a factor of 1000. This enables distribution networks to be investigated systematically for possible contamination sources of microbiological pollutants.
- Assimilable organic carbon (AOC) / regrowth potential: Regrowth potential, determination of AOC increase by means of chlorination, determination of AOC following various treatment stages
- Special methods to evaluate the microbiological water quality: Determination of the total cell count (microscopic, flow cytometry), microscopic analysis of floating layers, sediments, coatings, plant cover and biofilms, problem-oriented investigations into specific bacteria groups (e.g. iron and manganese oxidisers, Crenothrix polyspora), biomass determination (e.g. ATP, protein), microbial count (colony counts and Most-Probable-Number (MPN) method): Colony counts for various media, nitrate/iron(III)/sulphate-reducing bacteria, pollutant-degrading bacteria
- Animal organisms (invertebrates): Advice on the presence of animal organisms in water supply systems, identification and quantification of animal organisms
Methods and equipment
1 ICP-OES
2 ICP-MS
1 Hg analyser
4 IC
1 GC-NPD
1 GC-FID
1 GC-ECD-ECD
13 GC-MS
4 GC-MS-MS
2 HPLC-DAD-FLD
12 HPLC-MS-MS
2 HPLC-TOF-MS
2 Raman microspectrometers
Safety workbenches
Incubator
Flow cytometer with sorter
Fluorescence microscope
Ultra-filtration module for enrichment of large sample volumes
Autoclaves
Sterilisers
ATP measuring device
Freeze-drying
Ultra-low freezer
Contact
Chemical analysis



Microbiology


Projects
Golf course maintenance and pesticide use
In the pilot project, a novel approach was developed to systematically assess the possible risks to groundwater caused by the active substances in…
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The occurrence of endocrine disruptors in water bodies is assessed in particular on the basis of chemical-analytical parameters. The…
Read moreMethods and criteria to assess the eco-toxicity of construction products
Statements on the environmental compatibility of exterior construction products are made via eco-toxicological test systems. TZW conducts…
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