HORIBA launched the Aqualog-Next A-TEEM spectrometer, the fifth generation of its Aqualog line, designed for water research and environmental analysis. Using A-TEEM, the system simultaneously acquires absorbance and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) and, with an ultra-fast CCD detector, captures fingerprints in seconds, according to HORIBA.
This fits a broader push in water-analysis tools, with recent launches like ABB's UviTec optical analyzers (introduced at WEFTEC in October 2024 for real-time monitoring) and YSI's pre-configured Water Monitoring Panels in 2025 for parameters including pH and conductivity.
Aqualog-Next addresses fluorescence inner-filter effects by collecting absorbance and fluorescence data simultaneously and applying corrections; it can also report non-fluorescent absorbing parameters such as specific UV absorbance (SUVA).
The new EzSpec software handles method setup, acquisition, processing and reporting, with database integration for filtering/searching. Advanced tools include inner-filter-effect correction, Rayleigh masking, RSU normalization and 3D-to-2D profiling; users can export ASCII files and PDF reports.
Aqualog is widely used for R&D, especially environmental and water-treatment research, and HORIBA explicitly positions it that way. Their product pages call Aqualog "the gold standard in environmental water research ... used in some of the most prestigious water research labs," while also noting growing use in QC/QA.
Peer-reviewed work shows typical R&D use cases: building PARAFAC/PLS models to fingerprint DOM/NOM, relating components to DBP formation potential and other water-quality metrics, and evaluating treatment performance and fouling. Recent examples include A-TEEM + PARAFAC + PLS for BOD estimation, EEM-PARAFAC for DPR vs. IPR, and plant/watershed studies linking PARAFAC components to outcomes.
Compatibility with NIST SRMs for fluorescence (e.g., SRM 2941) and absorbance (e.g., SRM 2034); support for PARAFAC, PCA and PLS models; optional A-TEEM Direktor suite for guided multivariate workflows and predictive modeling; autosampler support, including Fast-03 (per HORIBA PR); and a web-based Datastream Dashboard for real-time monitoring and analysis.