High Throughput Automated Solid Phase Extraction of UCMR5 PFAS Compounds

Drinking Water
Oral Presentation

Prepared by I. Wan
PromoChrom Technologies, 13351 Commerce Parkway, Unit 1103, Richmond, British Columbia, V6V 2X7, Canada


Contact Information: [email protected]; 778-723-0421


ABSTRACT

UCMR 5 aims to monitor 30 contaminants - 29 of which are PFAS compounds covered by EPA Methods 533 and 537.1. Solid phase extraction (SPE) is employed in these methods to achieve required levels of detection sensitivity. Due to the ubiquitous and sticky nature of these analytes, the SPE procedure involves meticulous handling and multiple bottle rinsing steps. It is the most challenging and time-consuming part of the analysis when performed manually.

This presentation brings forth an automated platform capable of achieving high sample throughput and reliable results following EPA Methods 533 and 537.1. All cartridge extraction steps such as conditioning, sample loading, bottle rinsing and elution are performed across 8 samples without supervision. Comparison with manual extraction will be drawn using data collected from recognized PFAS laboratories to show accuracy, repeatability, background and efficiency. Tips on achieving optimal results based on customer experience will also be shared and discussed.