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.
