Product Development of Industrial Non-refillable Self-cleaning pH Electrode

New pH electrodes with a self-cleaning function were developed to reduce the maintenance burden on users. Since pH is measured continuously in factory wastewater, various organic compounds and microorganisms cause problems such as contamination of the pH -responsive glass and clogging of the liquid junction. Therefore, regular cleaning and calibration are necessary to ensure stable and accurate measurements. The typical way to deal with contamination is for workers to perform periodic maintenance such as cleaning and calibrating the electrodes, but this poses a problem in that it places a heavy burden on workers and poses a large safety risk. In order to solve these problems, pH electrodes with a self-cleaning function were developed by coating a pH -responsive glass membrane with TiO2. The electrode has a built-in UV -LED. The internal liquid is the water -insoluble gel that contains KCl granules and is highly transparent to ultraviolet light, and the liquid junction is an open junction to eliminate clogging. Furthermore, the relay box with a constant current source for lighting the LED and accessories for installing electrodes were also developed. The electrode has basic performance comparable to that of conventional pH electrodes, and was able to remain maintenance -free for a certain period of time even during on -site tests where there is a heavy maintenance burden due to organic contamination. These results are expected to make a significant contribution to industrial associations and industry. It is also expected to greatly contribute to the development of pH electrode technology in the future, and is expected to be applied to pH electrodes for laboratory applications such as medical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology, as well as to optical sensors.