Vessel ballast water testing is rapidly done with our patented test kits containing live cultures (marine plankton, called dinoflagellates, found in 85% of the world’s oceans), which are a perfect answer to determine negative effects of toxic substances on the environment. QwikLite® has proven its efficacy and received ASTM certification (ASTM E1924 "Standard Guide for Conducting Toxicity Tests Using Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates").
QwikLite is a portable testing system that performs several critical water tests, including rapid toxicity tests, at a cost that is 70% less, can be done conveniently on a ship, and results available in 24 hours or less. This is dramatically less expensive than lab tests (thousands of dollars per test). About one cubic foot in size, touch screen automated controls, the toxicity tests can conveniently be conducted on vessels of all sizes. Without testing with QwikLite, a water sample will need to be sent to a laboratory to evaluate the environmental impact of the ballast water discharges. With this process, the results take days, costs are high, and testing facilities are often far away.
Our live cultures and test cartridges are the only marine live species that is ready to use for testing and verification of ballast water treatment systems and discharges. The ASTM E1924 test method is a ready to implement live species test that can move shipboard to and provide quantifiable and repeatable test results. Test cartridges are designed to enable water samples to be dosed, mixed and measured in one easy-to-use package. The disposable test cartridges are of a unique and compatible design, adaptable to a variety of tests through substitution of the plankton cultures with numerous dyes, enhancers, reagents and markers.