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Ammonia Analyzer for Wastewater, Water & Agricultural Labs
The Timberline TL-2800 measures ammonia (and optionally nitrate/nitrite as TIN) with a gas diffusion / conductivity method that stays reliable when samples are turbid, colored, or variable in pH — the conditions that break colorimetric and phenate workflows.
Built for labs that need dependable ammonia numbers
If you run aqueous ammonia or total inorganic nitrogen work in wastewater, environmental water, or agricultural extracts, you need a method that does not collapse when the sample is dirty. The TL-2800 is used for:
- Wastewater — EPA-relevant ammonia monitoring and Clean Water Act applications
- Water — surface water, process water, Kjeldahl digestates, chloraminated drinking water matrices
- Agriculture — soil and plant tissue extracts, manure extracts, and related digestates
Designed, manufactured, and supported from Boulder, Colorado — with the application support that comes from building the instrument in-house.
Two configurations: ammonia or ammonia + nitrate/nitrite
TL-2800A ASX
Ammonia analyzer
Highly sensitive ammonia / ammonium measurement for aqueous samples. Pair with an autosampler for unattended runs.
TL-2800N ASX
Total inorganic nitrogen (TIN)
Adds an activated zinc reduction cartridge so nitrate/nitrite are converted and measured with the same gas diffusion / conductivity path. Nitrate/nitrite is determined by difference from a paired ammonia result.
Many labs run A + N together when they need both ammonia and TIN from the same workflow.
Why labs choose gas diffusion over colorimetric or phenate
Colorimetric and phenate methods are familiar — and fragile when turbidity, color, or matrix effects show up. Gas diffusion separates ammonia as a gas through a tubular hydrophobic membrane into a buffered absorber; conductivity tracks the ammonium signal. That architecture is why dirty samples are routine, not a crisis.
- Low interference — tolerates particulates with little or no filtering; unaffected by turbidity; immune to sample color
- Wide dynamic range — standard configurations span roughly 50 ppb–500 ppm; high-sensitivity configs cover about 10 ppb–10 ppm
- Fast throughput — about 1.5–2.5 minutes per sample
- Simple chemistry — deionized water, buffer (~250 ppm), and caustic (typically 5% NaOH); non-hazardous, easy to prepare
- Lower cost per sample — modest reagent and maintenance burden versus more fragile wet-chem alternatives
- TKN / TN after digestion — analyze digested samples without a separate distillation step
Going deeper on methods? Start here:
- Colorimetric ammonia analysis
- EPA ammonia testing methods guide
- Ammonia water analysis guide
- Ammonia in soil analysis guide
How the measurement works (short version)
- Sample, caustic, and mildly acidic absorber are pumped into the tubular diffusion membrane assembly
- Caustic raises sample pH (≥11) so ammonium converts to dissolved ammonia gas
- Ammonia diffuses through the membrane into a pH 6.5 buffered stream and converts back to conductive ammonium
- The conductivity change is proportional to ammonia concentration in the original sample
Want the full operating picture — setup, software, calibration, and care? See TL-2800 training & support, or watch it run live.
At-a-glance performance
- Method: gas diffusion / conductivity
- Species: ammonia (A); ammonia + nitrate/nitrite as TIN (N, by difference)
- Matrices: water, wastewater, agricultural extracts, Kjeldahl digestates
- Typical analysis time: 1.5–2.5 min/sample
- Range: standard ~50 ppb–500 ppm; high-sensitivity ~10 ppb–10 ppm
- Automation: external autosampler under instrument software control
Next step
See the fluid path, peaks, and calibration in a live video demo — and bring your matrix questions. Or jump to product detail on the TL-2800 page.