EASUMMIT: Environmental Capabilities

Importance of the Topic

Ensuring water, soil and air quality demands highly accurate detection and monitoring of chemical, biological and radiological contaminants. Regulatory agencies worldwide are tightening limits on legacy and emerging pollutants, driving the need for integrated workflows that deliver reliable results across field, laboratory and industrial settings.

Objectives and Overview

This document presents a comprehensive approach to environmental contaminant analysis, covering advanced sampling, separation and detection strategies. It illustrates streamlined workflows for routine and non-targeted screening, highlights case studies such as EPA Methods 557, 537 and 539, and showcases high-resolution instrumentation that boosts sensitivity, speed and compliance.

Methodology and Used Instrumentation

Key methods and instruments include:

• Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE 350) and Solid-Phase Extraction (AutoTrace 280)
• Reagent-Free Ion Chromatography (Thermo Scientific Dionex RFIC) with high-efficiency 4 µm IonPac columns
• Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Thermo Scientific Q Exactive HF/Xevo TSQ Endura)
• Orbitrap GC-MS/MS (Q Exactive GC) for chlorinated paraffins and disinfection by-products
• Triple Quadrupole GC-MS/MS (TSQ 9000) and LC-MS/MS platforms
• Ion Exchange suppression, matrix elimination via column switching and isotope dilution calibration
• Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and spectral libraries for data integration

Main Results and Discussion

• 4 µm IC columns achieved faster run times and higher resolution at pressures up to 5000 psi, reducing analysis times by 30–50 %
• Direct-injection IC-MS/MS (EPA 557) delivered sub-ng/L detection of bromate, dalapon and HAA9 with robust recovery and low uncertainty
• Automated SPE for EPA Methods 537 and 539 matched manual protocols in recovery and reproducibility while increasing throughput
• High-resolution Orbitrap detection outperformed conventional triple quadrupoles in sensitivity and mass accuracy for perfluorinated compounds, enabling quantification of known and unknown PFCs in drinking water
• GC-Orbitrap GC-MS/MS resolved complex mixtures of short-chain chlorinated paraffins and over 600 disinfection by-products, minimizing interferences and revealing novel DBPs

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Enhanced regulatory compliance (EPA, EU 2013/39/EU) through improved limits of detection and confirmation criteria
• Reduced solvent use and hands-on time via reagent-free IC and automated SPE
• End-to-end solutions from handheld field analyzers to ultra-high resolution lab instruments
• Seamless integration of targeted and non-targeted screening for pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, PFCs, SCCPs and DBPs
• Streamlined reporting and audit readiness via LIMS connectivity and built-in quality-control workflows

Future Trends and Potential Applications

• Expansion of non-targeted high-resolution mass spectrometry to detect unknown environmental threats
• Transition of emerging contaminants into regulated lists, increasing demand for broad-scope screening methods
• Multiplexed chromatography and parallel analyses to meet high sample throughput
• AI-driven data processing and predictive analytics for rapid identification and risk assessment
• Growth of portable, point-of-need analyzers for real-time monitoring in remote or critical environments

Conclusion

By integrating advanced sample preparation, high-efficiency chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry with robust data management, laboratories can achieve faster, more sensitive and fully compliant environmental analyses. Thermo Scientific’s comprehensive portfolio addresses current regulatory demands and anticipates future challenges in contaminant screening and monitoring.

Reference

• Glüge J, Wang Z, et al. Science of the Total Environment. 2016;573:1132–1146.
• EPA Method 537: Determination of Selected Perfluorinated Alkyl Acids in Drinking Water by SPE-LC-MS/MS.
• EPA Method 539: Determination of Hormones in Drinking Water by SPE-LC-MS/MS.