New instruments improve lab throughput
New instruments improve lab throughput
Environmental NEWS - Fall 2008
New instruments improve lab throughput
In an effort to increase capacity and improve efficiency, Lancaster Laboratories is continually investing in new analytical technology. Acquisition of new instruments and equipment that can decrease turnaround time is a key to meeting client requirements in the environmental testing market. Here are a few examples of recent purchases:
The Metals Analysis Group recently replaced an older instrument with a Thermo Scientific Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Spectrometer (iCAP) 6000 series. The new instrument features a shorter optical path, Charge Injection Device (CID) detector and climate-controlled optics that provide a more stable output. Decreased instrumental drift and increased sensitivity greatly improve the ability to consistently achieve passing results on check standards. The innovative design of the autosampler cuts analysis time by up to 40 percent, while also decreasing sample carryover. “This is our second instrument of this model, and the current instrument runs extremely well,” explains Bob Strocko, manager of the Metals Analysis Department. He adds that lab capacity is expanded because the stability of the ICAP reduces QC failures.
An additional gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) with the capability of purging a 25-ml sample was recently installed in the Volatiles by GC/MS laboratory. This purchase increases by about 25 percent the lab’s capacity to perform EPA methods 8260B and 524.2 in water samples. Because a larger sample size is used, these methods provide lower detection limits than those using the typical 5-ml sample.
The recent installation of a Lachat Micro DIST system in the Instrumental Water Quality laboratory provides clients with an additional choice for cyanide distillation. The method is safer and faster than other options, and USEPA has approved its use for methods that Lancaster Labs is already certified to perform. Analysts are in the process of completing proficiency test samples to demonstrate the lab’s ability to achieve accurate results using the system. Clients who are currently sending cyanide samples to Lancaster Labs will not see a change in their method references because the micro distillation is an acceptable preparation under the current methods. Erik Frederiksen, manager of the Instrumental Water Quality laboratory, says the new system will improve capacity because it can distill samples in approximately one-fourth the time of the traditional distillation glassware procedure. The distillation is followed by colorimetric analysis on either a Flow Analyzer or a Discrete Analyzer, which was recently added to improve sample throughput.
Like cyanide, hexavalent chromium is another compound of continuing environmental concern, and an additional ion chromatograph (IC) dedicated to the analysis of this known carcinogen was recently installed in the Instrumental Water Quality laboratory. The IC is used to perform EPA method 7199, which is less subject to matrix interferences than the manual colorimetric methods. Frederiksen expects to have the new IC ready for the busy fall season.