Algae Growth In Hplc Systems - Agilent Technologies 1220 Infinity II LC User Manual

Algae Growth in HPLC Systems

The presence of algae in HPLC systems can cause a variety of problems that
may be incorrectly diagnosed as instrument or application problems. Algae
grow in aqueous media, preferably in a pH range of 4 – 8. Their growth is
accelerated by buffers, for example phosphate or acetate. Since algae grow
through photosynthesis, light also stimulates their growth. Small algae growth
is seen even in distilled water after some time.
Instrumental problems associated with algae
Algae deposit and grow everywhere within the HPLC system causing:
• deposits on ball valves, inlet or outlet, resulting in unstable flow or total
• small-pore solvent inlet filters to plug, resulting in unstable flow or total
• small-pore high pressure solvent filters (usually placed before the injector)
• column filters to plug, resulting in high system pressure.
• flow cell windows of detectors to become dirty, resulting in higher noise
1220 Infinity II LC System User Manual
failure of the pump.
failure of the pump.
to plug, resulting in high system pressure.
levels. Since the detector is the last module in the flow path, this problem is
less common.
Maintenance and Repair

Algae Growth in HPLC Systems

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