Extract more efficiently and confidently with walkaway automation from sample to vial

Significance of the Topic

The quality and throughput of sample preparation determine the reliability and cost-effectiveness of many analytical workflows, particularly for trace-level contaminants such as PFAS in complex solid and semi-solid matrices. Manual extraction workflows are time-consuming, error-prone, solvent-intensive, and a major bottleneck in environmental, food-safety, and pharmaceutical laboratories. Automated, walkaway accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) that integrates extraction, in-cell cleanup, and concentration directly into autosampler-ready vials can significantly reduce variability, labor, solvent use, and carryover while improving data integrity and compliance with regulatory methods.

Objectives and Overview of the System

This material presents the Thermo Scientific EXTREVA ASE Accelerated Solvent Extractor, an integrated, walkaway sample-to-vial solution designed to automate extraction, in-cell cleanup, and evaporation for up to four samples in parallel. Key objectives include: improving throughput and reproducibility, minimizing PFAS background from instrument components, reducing solvent consumption, providing method flexibility (multi-solvent capability and precise flow control), and demonstrating performance comparable to US EPA Method 1633 for PFAS analysis.

Methodology and Operating Principles

• Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE): elevated temperatures and pressures maintain solvent in liquid phase above its boiling point to speed analyte desorption and diffusion from solid matrices.
• Gas-assisted dynamic extraction: uses a patented gas-assisted flow to reduce solvent volumes (typically 5–100 mL per sample) and enhance extraction efficiency and method control via precise flow regulation.
• Integrated evaporation: parallel, automated evaporation/concentration of extracts into 2 mL autosampler vials using combined nitrogen flow, vacuum, and controlled gentle heating to avoid loss of semi-volatiles.
• Process control and traceability: 2-D barcode sample tracking, interactive front-panel touchscreen, and automatic logging of extraction parameters to preserve data integrity.
• Smart end-point detection: an optical image-sensor-based system with a backlight and ML-driven algorithms stops evaporation independently in each channel when the target vial volume is reached.
• Method flexibility: supports up to six different solvents across extraction and rinse steps and independent flow paths for each of the four ovens to minimize cross-contamination and carryover.

Used Instrumentation

• Thermo Scientific EXTREVA ASE Accelerated Solvent Extractor (4 parallel extractions with integrated evaporation)
• Thermo Scientific Dionex ASE 350 extraction cells (compatible cell system)
• Integrated image sensor and 2-D barcode reader for endpoint detection and sample tracking

Main Results and Discussion

• Throughput: Extraction-only capacity reported up to 128 samples per 8-hour shift (384 per 24 h) across applications. With integrated evaporation the system achieves application-dependent throughput: e.g., ~48 samples per 8 h for a PAH workflow and ~60 samples per 8 h for an OCP workflow.
• Parallel operation: Four separate ovens with independent flow paths enable simultaneous extraction and evaporation of four samples, removing the need for manual transfer between devices and increasing lab productivity.
• PFAS performance: Data summarized in the brochure indicate analyte recoveries from spiked soils fall within EPA 1633 initial precision and recovery (IPR) acceptance ranges and that instrument PFAS background levels are well below the EPA 1633 method detection limits (MDLs), supporting suitability for trace PFAS analysis.
• Solvent reduction and sustainability: Gas-assisted ASE reduces solvent consumption substantially (typical range 5–100 mL/sample) compared with conventional workflows, lowering both direct costs and solvent waste.
• Reproducibility and error reduction: Full automation and integrated data logging reduce manual steps (historically up to ~60% of chemists’ time spent on manual extractions), improving repeatability and lowering the chance of unnoticed errors that lead to sample loss.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Labor savings and productivity: Significant reduction in hands-on time enables staff to prioritize data analysis and higher-value tasks; walkaway operation shortens overall sample turnaround times.
• Analytical quality: Lower PFAS instrument background, controlled evaporation endpoints, and consistent extraction parameters lead to more reliable quantitation at trace levels.
• Cost and sustainability: Reduced solvent volumes and consolidated instrument footprint decrease consumable costs and laboratory environmental footprint.
• Method versatility: Support for multiple solvents, in-cell cleanup materials, and modular method optimization suits a wide range of matrices and target analytes including PFAS, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides, food packaging extractables, dioxins/furans, and pharmaceutical extractables/leachables.
• Regulatory alignment: Demonstrated equivalence to US EPA Method 1633 for PFAS provides confidence for labs performing regulated analyses.

Future Trends and Potential Uses

• Deeper instrument integration with LIMS and laboratory automation ecosystems to enable end-to-end digital workflows, automated sample scheduling, and centralized audit trails.
• Evolving materials and component designs to further minimize PFAS background and extend suitability for ultra-trace analyses of emerging contaminants.
• Increased application of machine learning for real-time process optimization, predictive maintenance, and adaptive endpoint control to maximize throughput and recovery across diverse matrices.
• Miniaturization and micro-extraction adaptations to reduce solvent use further and enable high-throughput, low-volume workflows for screening and monitoring programs.
• Broader regulatory adoption and method harmonization for automated ASE approaches, particularly in environmental and food-safety testing frameworks.

Conclusion

The EXTREVA ASE system represents a significant step toward fully automated, sample-to-vial preparation for solid and semi-solid matrices. By combining gas-assisted ASE, parallel extraction/evaporation, PFAS-reduced components, optical endpoint detection, and robust data tracking, the system addresses common bottlenecks in throughput, reproducibility, solvent consumption, and trace-level contamination. Laboratories focused on environmental, food-safety, and pharmaceutical analyses can benefit from improved productivity, consistent recoveries aligned with regulatory expectations, and a lower operational footprint.

Reference

• US Environmental Protection Agency. Method 1633A: PFAS in Soils and Related Matrices (referenced for initial precision, recovery, and MDL comparisons).
• Thermo Fisher Scientific product brochure for EXTREVA ASE Accelerated Solvent Extractor (manufacturer technical and performance summary).