A new extractor was purchased for the Trace Analysis Laboratory (IET)

"The Dionex ASE 350 accelerated sample extractor from Thermofisher Scientific is used to extract organic and inorganic substances from solid samples such as sludge, sediments, waste, plastics or biological matrices," explains Martina Vráblová, head of the research group Water Treatment and Analysis, on what the new device will be used for.

The extraction can use 1-100 g of sample depending on the size of the extraction cartridge and up to three different solvents or solutions. A high-pressure liquid pump is used to pump the solvent at a pressure of up to 10 MPa into the steel extraction cartridge containing the sample. The cartridge can also be heated up to 200 °C. Extraction at elevated pressure and temperature can be repeated. The extract is discharged through a filter into a 60ml or 250ml collection vial. The residual extract is forced out of the extraction cartridge with nitrogen gas. The extractor can be controlled from a keyboard with LCD panel or from a PC using Chromeleon software. Up to 24 extraction methods and 24 sample sequences can be stored in the extractor's memory.

"In the Laboratory of Trace Analysis, the instrument will be used mainly for extraction of organic substances such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, PAHs, etc., and inorganic ions from solid samples, i.e. sludge, sediment, plastics, waste or biological samples," adds Martina Vráblová.

The instrument was purchased under the project "Building laboratory capacity for the determination of microplastics in drinking, surface and waste water, sediments and sewage sludge" supported by the Ministry of the Environment and co-financed by the European Union