Consumables for Environmental Sample Preparation

Importance of the Topic

Environmental monitoring of water matrices requires robust, reliable and efficient sample preparation to detect trace organic contaminants. Solid phase extraction (SPE) has emerged as a superior alternative to traditional liquid–liquid extraction (LLE), offering reduced solvent use, higher throughput and consistent recoveries across clean and challenging samples.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note presents a comprehensive range of consumables and automated systems for environmental sample preparation. It highlights SPE disks and cartridges for semi-volatile organics, oil & grease, PFAS and other emerging contaminants, together with drying and concentration accessories designed to streamline workflows and improve data quality.

Methodology and Used Instrumentation

Consumables are based on diverse sorbent chemistries including C18, hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB), divinylbenzene (DVB) and multi-mode “One Pass” disks with integrated carbon media. SPE disks (47 mm and 90 mm) and single-use ReadyDisks are compatible with both manual vacuum manifolds and automated extractors. The Biotage Horizon 5000 and Horizon 3100 systems automate aqueous extractions for semi-volatiles and oil & grease (EPA 1664 A/B) respectively. Solvent evaporation and drying employ SpeedVap IV, DryVap concentrator with DryDisk-R membranes and the Solvent Drying System (SDS-101) to remove residual water and concentrate extracts prior to GC, GC-MS or LC-MS analysis.

Main Results and Discussion

Compared to LLE, SPE disks eliminate emulsions, reduce re-extraction and solvent consumption by up to 90%, and handle sample volumes from milliliters to liters. Certified lot-to-lot consistency ensures reproducible recoveries for over 100 target analytes (EPA Method 8270/625) in seawater, wastewater and drinking water. Pre-filters protect sorbent layers when processing high-particulate samples, and high-capacity disks retain polar compounds effectively.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Significant solvent savings and waste reduction
• Reduced hands-on time and operator variability
• Seamless automation enabling high throughput
• Flexibility to process clean and dirty matrices
• Broad applicability across EPA 500, 8000, 1600 and 600 series methods

Future Trends and Applications

Advances in SPE media and instrument integration are driving greener workflows and real-time environmental surveillance. Emerging applications include on-site automated extraction devices, tailored sorbents for novel contaminants (microplastics, pharmaceuticals) and fully digitalized trace analysis platforms interoperable with AI-driven data evaluation.

Conclusion

Biotage offers a flexible portfolio of SPE consumables and automation solutions that outperform LLE in safety, efficiency and reproducibility. By combining optimized disk chemistries with advanced concentrators and extractors, laboratories can accelerate environmental testing, maintain regulatory compliance and reduce operational costs.