Intertek’s Bilbao Center Extends Accreditation for Environmental Water and Soil Testing

The Intertek Bilbao Technology Center (BTC) lab specializes in testing petroleum refined products and natural gas. Strategically located in Bilbao Spain, the Intertek BTC laboratory supports the European energy industry, refineries, and petrol & gas companies, among others.

Environmental services include analysis of water and soil by detecting pollutants from hydrocarbons spills and leaks, along with the presence of organic compounds associated this type of pollution.

Ángel Garrido, Intertek BTC Lab Director, said: "The extension of our ISO 17025 accreditation for environmental testing complements our traditional fuels and biofuels testing services. Our extensive experience in the energy industry positions us as a reference environmental laboratory thanks to our deep understanding of fuel chemistry and specifications. This experience is very useful for water and soil tests."

Soil and water contamination may occur during the production, refining, distribution, and storage of petroleum refined products. Intertek BTC’s Environmental lab performs analytical assessments of spills, helping to assess the environmental impact by identifying and measuring hydrocarbons present in water and soil samples.

The Intertek BTC lab also performs hydrocarbon degradation testing, which can provide time estimates for when spills and contamination occurred.

Water and Soil physical-chemical accredited testing includes organic compounds and total hydrocarbons analysis by advanced analytical techniques, including gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Sample types analysed include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non-halogenated volatile organic compounds.