Application Compendium for Environmental Testing

Significance of the Topic

Environmental analysis is essential to monitor and preserve air, soil, and water quality. Regulatory agencies require accurate measurement of organic and inorganic pollutants to ensure public health, compliance with environmental standards, and to guide remediation efforts. Advanced analytical techniques improve detection limits, sample throughput, and robustness, meeting the growing challenges of emerging contaminants, stricter regulations, and complex matrices.

Objectives and Overview of the Article

This document presents a comprehensive resource of analytical applications for environmental testing, organized by matrix type (air, soil, water). It aims to guide laboratories in selecting optimal methods and instrument configurations to achieve reliable, precise quantification of a wide range of chemical contaminants under regulatory frameworks.

Methodology

The compendium covers established and advanced techniques:

• Gas chromatography (GC) and GC coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS, GC/MS/MS) for volatile and semivolatile organics.
• Liquid chromatography (LC) and LC coupled with single quadrupole or triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS, LC/MS/MS) for polar and non-volatile compounds.
• Inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ICP-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, ICP-MS/MS) for trace metals and speciation.
• Fluorescence and infrared spectroscopy for rapid screening of specific classes such as petroleum hydrocarbons and oils.
• Automated sample preparation, including headspace sampling, online SPE, and specialized cleanup workbenches.

Instrumentation Used

Key Agilent instruments and consumables highlighted:

• GC systems: Intuvo 9000, 7890B, 7820, 7000/7020/7200 GC/MS and GC/MS/MS series.
• LC systems: 1200 and 1290 Infinity series with online SPE modules.
• MS detectors: 5975T LTM, 5977A, 6490, 6495, 6460, and 6550 Q-TOF LC/MS.
• ICP technologies: 7700x, 7900, 8800 ICP-MS; 4200/4300/5100/710/730/8800 MP-AES and ICP-OES systems.
• Sample prep: Agilent CTS and TSP, 7696A Sample Prep WorkBench, Bond Elut SPE kits, Agilent columns.

Main Results and Discussion

Examples demonstrate the ability to detect contaminants at trace to ultra-trace levels (sub-ppb to ppt) across matrices:

• Air monitoring of VOCs, sulfur species, nitrosamines, greenhouse gases with cryogen-free TD and GC/MS techniques.
• Soil analysis of PAHs, explosives, metals, dioxins, and nutrients using GC/MS, LC, and MP-AES/ICP-MS.
• Water testing for pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, disinfection by-products, PFAS, and metals following EPA methods such as 524.3, 8270, 8330, 538.

Data show high throughput, method robustness, and compliance with regulatory protocols, enabling confident quantitation in complex environmental samples.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The compiled applications provide:

• Method selection guidance for diverse analytes and matrices.
• Preconfigured workflows to reduce method development time.
• Enhanced detection limits and data quality via optimized columns, detectors, and sample prep.
• Integrated solutions combining hardware, software, and consumables for routine and disaster response scenarios.

Future Trends and Possibilities

Emerging directions include:

• High-resolution mass spectrometry and data analytics for non-target screening of unknown pollutants.
• Automation and online monitoring platforms for real-time environmental surveillance.
• Miniaturized and field-deployable systems for on-site rapid analysis.
• Integration of AI-driven workflows for accelerated sample processing and interpretation.

Conclusion

This compendium serves as a strategic reference for environmental laboratories, delivering robust, validated analytical solutions and fostering regulatory compliance. By leveraging Agilent’s technologies across GC, LC, ICP, and sample preparation, analysts can achieve reliable, high-quality environmental data for air, soil, and water matrices.

References

1. Agilent Technologies. Application Compendium for Environmental Testing; Publication 5991-5361EN; 2017.