Shimadzu Journal Vol. 07 - Environmental Analysis and more...

Importance of the Topic

Environmental contaminants such as microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chlorinated paraffins and emerging pollutants are ubiquitous across ecosystems. Analyses at increasing depths, in complex matrices and at trace levels are critical for assessing environmental and human health risks. New analytical approaches and instrumentation are driving faster, more sensitive, selective and reliable methods to monitor these contaminants in water, sediments, biota and industrial effluents.

Objectives and Overview

• Present key environmental research conducted with Shimadzu technologies.
• Showcase studies on microplastic ingestion in hadal amphipods, SCCP quantification and ultra-fast PFAS analysis.
• Introduce collaborations improving environmental compliance monitoring and instrument development.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Deep-sea amphipod microplastic study: FTIR Tracer-100 with AIM-9000 infrared microscope for microfibre identification in gut samples.
• SCCP analysis: GC×GC-MS (GCMS-TQ8040) with thermal modulator and BPX-50 secondary column for comprehensive separation and quantification by total response factor vs. chlorine content calibration.
• PFAS determination: Direct methanol dilution, no SPE, injection on Nexera UFLC coupled to LCMS-8060 ultrafast triple quadrupole with 555 MRM/sec acquisition for 49 PFAS compounds in 13 min.
• Total carbon/nitrogen: Shimadzu TOC-L with catalytic combustion IR and chemiluminescence TNM for wastewater, validated under ASTM D7573 and D8083.
• Pesticide/PCB screening: GCMS-TQ8040 in MRM mode to replace ECD detection, enabling single-extraction analysis of semi-volatiles and organochlorines.

Main Results and Discussion

• Microplastics in six Pacific hadal trenches (7 000–10 890 m) were ingested by 72% of amphipods; average 1–3 particles per individual, predominantly microfibres of nylon, polyester and cellulosic materials.
• SCCP fractions in commercial chlorinated paraffin products ranged widely (0.2%–73% w/w); GC×GC-MS resolved 24 congeners and revealed dominant C13Cl7-8 in mid-chlorinated products and C12Cl10 in high-chlorinated samples.
• PFAS method achieved MDLs of 0.6–5.4 ng/L, recoveries between 84%–113% and linear calibration (5–200 ng/L) for 44 PFAS; direct injection and UFMS™ enabled rapid analysis with minimal background contamination.
• ASTM-validated TOC/TN methods (D7573, D8083) provided interlaboratory reproducibility and bias data, allowing EPA approval for combustion-IR techniques in drinking and wastewater testing.
• LCMS-TQ8040 demonstrated replacement of traditional ECD-based GC-methods for pesticides and PCBs, offering enhanced sensitivity and simplified workflows.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Enhanced detection and quantitation at trace levels improve risk assessment for deep-sea and freshwater ecosystems.
• Reduced sample preparation time and solvent use for PFAS and pesticide monitoring cuts costs and increases throughput.
• Validated methods following ASTM and EPA protocols ensure regulatory compliance and data comparability across laboratories.
• Comprehensive 2D GC separation and ultrafast MS acquisition support complex mixture analyses with higher resolution and fewer interferences.

Future Trends and Opportunities

• Expansion of target analyte lists (e.g. GenX, next-generation PFAS) requires continued method development and ultrafast MS capabilities.
• Integration of AI-driven diagnostics and IoT connectivity for instrument self-optimization and predictive maintenance.
• Application of advanced spectroscopic and chromatographic platforms to emerging contaminants including microfibres, nanoplastics and novel industrial chemicals.
• Broader inter-laboratory studies to refine method precision, bias and standardization for global environmental monitoring.

Conclusion

The combination of cutting-edge Shimadzu instrumentation, robust method validation and collaborative standardization efforts is transforming environmental analysis. Across deep-sea microplastics, PFAS, chlorinated paraffins and pesticide contaminants, these approaches deliver faster, more sensitive and reliable data that underpin regulatory compliance, risk management and sustainability objectives.

References

• Jamieson AJ et al. Royal Soc Open Sci. 2019; Deep-sea amphipod microplastic ingestion.
• Zou Y et al. J Chrom A. 2018; SCCP quantification by GC×GC-MS.
• Prakash B et al. Shimadzu App Note; Ultrafast PFAS LC-MS/MS.
• ASTM D7573-18; D8083-16. ASTM Intl.; TOC and TN by combustion-IR.
• US EPA Method 537.1 (2018); PFAS in drinking water by SPE and LC-MS/MS.