EXTREVA ASE Accelerated Solvent Extractor

Importance of the Topic

The extraction and preparation of solid and semi-solid samples represent a critical bottleneck in many analytical workflows. Manual sample preparation can consume up to 60% of an analyst’s time, increase costs associated with solvents and consumables, and introduce errors that may only become apparent after analysis. Automating this process not only improves laboratory efficiency and sustainability by reducing solvent use, but also enhances data quality, consistency, and throughput.

Objectives and Study Overview

This document introduces the Thermo Scientific EXTREVA ASE Accelerated Solvent Extractor, a fully automated walk-away system that integrates extraction, in-cell cleanup, and evaporation of up to four samples in parallel. The objectives are to demonstrate how the system increases productivity, reduces manual intervention and solvent consumption, and maintains analytical performance for environmental, food safety, and pharmaceutical QA/QC applications.

Used Instrumentation

• Thermo Scientific EXTREVA ASE Accelerated Solvent Extractor
• Thermo Scientific Dionex ASE 350 extraction cells
• Thermo Scientific Chromeleon Chromatography Data System (CDS) Software

Methodology

Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) employs elevated temperatures and pressures to maintain solvents in the liquid phase above their boiling points, increasing analyte solubility and diffusion rates for rapid, efficient extraction. The EXTREVA ASE system adds several innovative features:

• Parallel extraction vessels: four independent ovens and flow paths allow simultaneous sample processing.
• In-cell cleanup: integrated sorbent layers reduce matrix interferences before evaporation.
• Gas-assisted dynamic extraction: uses pressurized gas to minimize solvent volumes (5–100 mL per sample).
• Automated evaporation: combined nitrogen and vacuum gently concentrate extracts directly into autosampler vials with machine-vision end-point detection.
• Data integrity tracking: 2D barcoding and Chromeleon CDS integration record all extraction parameters automatically.

Main Results and Discussion

Performance comparisons highlight the substantial gains delivered by EXTREVA ASE:

• Productivity: Up to 48 samples per 24 hours versus 12–36 samples manually or with multiple instruments.
• Hands-on time: Reduced by approximately 75%, freeing staff for other tasks.
• Recovery and reproducibility: Organochlorine pesticides spiked at 25 µg/kg yielded recoveries within 80–120% per EPA guidelines. Certified soil PAH analysis demonstrated average recoveries close to reference values with relative standard deviations below 7%.
• Solvent reduction: Typically 5–100 mL per sample compared to hundreds of milliliters in traditional methods, lowering costs and environmental impact.

Benefits and Practical Applications

Key advantages of the EXTREVA ASE system include:

• Significant throughput increase via parallel processing.
• Minimal manual intervention and reduced error rates through full automation.
• Flexible method development with up to six different solvents and precise flow control.
• Seamless integration with chromatography systems and data management platforms for regulatory compliance.
• Broad applicability across environmental monitoring, food and beverage safety testing, and pharmaceutical extractables and leachables studies.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Ongoing developments in analytical automation, digital laboratory connectivity, and sustainable workflows suggest the following trends:

• Enhanced integration with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and artificial intelligence for predictive maintenance and method optimization.
• Expansion of trace-level extraction protocols for emerging contaminants in environmental and food matrices.
• Development of greener solvents and sorbents to further reduce environmental footprint.
• Miniaturization and high-throughput formats for large-scale screening in pharmaceutical and biotech research.

Conclusion

The Thermo Scientific EXTREVA ASE system represents a paradigm shift in sample preparation by delivering true walk-away extraction from sample to vial. It dramatically improves laboratory productivity, reproducibility, and sustainability while maintaining analytical rigor. This advancement allows laboratories to focus resources on data interpretation and method development, accelerating overall research and quality control processes.