What we do
Environmental Control and Analysis
TYPSA has its own labs in Madrid, Seville and Murcia to provide both the resources required for physical, chemical and biological analysis and the appropriate consulting services for evaluation. These services are provided in the Americas by the TYPSA Peru Laboratory.
Our laboratory staff are highly qualified professionals in continuous professional development and the labs are equipped with the latest technical instrumentation to meet all the demands of any type of environment-related project:
- Sample collection and field measurements.
- Physicochemical, microbiological and hydrobiological analysis.
- Treatability testing.
- Consulting.
Areas
TYPSA’s laboratory activities include collecting samples and carrying out fieldwork, as well as lab work. All activity areas are differentiated yet perfectly coordinated to ensure that the results are reliable and precise.
- Sampling and field tasks
TYPSA considers it essential for its technicians to take samples correctly, as it is impossible to draw valid conclusions from accurate analytical results based on non-representative samples.
This area performs the following tasks: - Sample collection, transport and storage.
- On-site measurements (temperature, flow rates, pH/redox, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, molecular absorption spectrophotometry on site).
- Lab
TYPSA’s lab is fully equipped with the market’s latest technology and can perform any physicochemical (inorganic parameters and organic micro pollutants), microbiological or hydrobiological environmental analysis in accordance with the current legal framework. - Consulting
TYPSA is aware that clients need analytical results to be interpreted properly in line with the guidelines and regulations in force. The Consulting area therefore specialises in:
- Establishing the environmental baseline.
- Designing control networks and appropriate monitoring programmes
- Assessing water body status.
- Modelling.
- Identifying trends.
- Diagnostic evaluation of wastewater treatment plants.
The Quality Management Area works hand in hand with these areas to ensure that the Quality System is properly implemented, maintained and improved, while keeping senior management up to date with compliance. The Administrative area takes charge of client services, issuing analysis reports, controlling documentation and managing billing.
Analytical techniques
Spectroscopy
- UV-VIS.
- Continuous flow.
- IR.
- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. ICP-MS.
- ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy).
- Mercury determination by absorption and fluorescence (cold vapour).
- Total organic carbon and total nitrogen.
Chromatography
- Gas Chromatography (GC).
- Single quadrupole mass selective detector (MS), tandem mass detector (MS-MS), triple quadrupole detector (QqQ), and negative chemical ionization mass detector.
- Injection-coupled mass detector for headspace analysis of volatile organic compounds.
- Automatic injectors on all equipment.
- High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with UV-VIS and fluorescence detection.
- High performance liquid chromatography mass-mass espectrometry (HPLC/MS-MS).
- Ion chromatography (anion determination).
Pretreatment
- Drying, grinding and sieving.
- Microwave digestion.
- Ultrasound solid-liquid extraction.
- Liquid-liquid extraction.
- Centrifugation.
General techniques
- Titrimetry.
- Gravimetry.
- Distillation.
- Complexometrics.
- Turbidity.
- Selective electrodes.
- Granulometry.
Microbiology
- Analysis of pathogenic micro-organisms.
- Bioluminescence waste toxicity analyser.
- Light microscopy.
- Legionella.
- Nematodes and helminths.
Accreditation
The Quality Assurance System in place in TYPSA labs complies with ISO 17025 requirements for testing and ISO 17020 for inspection, and ensures tasks are carried out properly. TYPSA’s central lab in San Sebastián de los Reyes and the lab in Seville are ENAC (Spanish National Accreditation Body) accredited for both testing (under reference No. 366/LE 523 in Madrid and No. 366/LE1279 in Seville) and inspection (under No.114/EI211 in both Madrid and Seville) . The lab in Murcia is accredited for testing (under Nº 366/LE1066).
The labs in Madrid and Murcia have an Environmental Management System certified in accordance with ISO 14001 under No. GA-2010/0617 and,
in addition, TYPSA’s occupational health and safety management system is certified to ISO 45001 (under no. 69507/2021).
The Spanish Ministry of the Environment recognises TYPSA as a Collaborating Entity to work with the Water Authorities in water quality control and surveillance, and management of discharges into the public water system (code E.C. 009/1 and 2 gd/AT).
Regionally, TYPSA is on the Aragonese Water Institute Register of Collaborating Entities for water quality, under the Regional Government of Aragon, with registration number REC-16. It is also on the environmental authority’s Register of Collaborating Entities for environmental quality, under the Murcia Regional Ministry of Industry and Environment, under registration number 181/05.
The TYPSA Laboratory in San Sebastian de los Reyes is authorised by the following bodies for activities related to public health:
- The Directorate General for Public Health and Participation of the Andalusian Ministry of Health. The lab is on the Register of Public Health Laboratories of Andalusia, under number A.407/III in the Authorised Laboratories section, and number AC.408/III in the Accredited Laboratories section.
- The Directorate General for Public Health, Food and Consumer Affairs of the Madrid Regional Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs. The lab is on the Register of laboratories in Madrid authorised to carry out analytical controls of food/foodstuffs, under registration number 15ABC/M, in the sections for Authorised Laboratories, Authorised Self-Monitoring Analysis Laboratories and Accredited Laboratories.
Faustino Herrero
Head of Division
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