Hydrophilic Sorbent Disk Eliminates Solvent Pre-Conditioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
EPA Method 1664 for determining Hexane Extractable Material (HEM) is labor-intensive and time-consuming due to the need for separate sample preparation and pre-conditioning of solid phase extraction disks with polar solvents, which can lead to errors and non-compliance if not done correctly.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece solid phase extraction article that uses water-wettable monomeric or polymeric sorptive materials embedded in a porous matrix, eliminating the need for pre-conditioning with polar solvents and allowing for direct wetting with water or aqueous solutions, thereby simplifying the filtration process and reducing the risk of co-solvent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pre-conditioning with polar solvents is used to wet the sorbent material, then the extraction efficiency is improved, but the device complexity and risk of error increase due to the need for vigilant solvent removal and maintaining wetness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the sorbent material from hydrophobic to hydrophilic by using water-wettable materials such as cellulose, polyacrylamide, or activated carbon. This parameter change eliminates the need for polar solvent pre-conditioning while maintaining extraction efficiency, as the hydrophilic materials can be directly wetted with water or aqueous solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the problematic pre-conditioning step involving polar solvents from the overall extraction process. By removing this unnecessary step and using hydrophilic materials that can be directly activated with water, the method simplifies the procedure while maintaining reliability.
2Measurement precision
If separate sample preparation and pre-conditioning steps are performed, then the extraction accuracy is improved, but the time required and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the pre-conditioning step with the sample preparation step by using hydrophilic materials that can be directly wetted with water. This eliminates the separate pre-conditioning step with polar solvents, reducing time and labor while maintaining extraction accuracy through the use of appropriate hydrophilic sorbent materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrophilic sorbent material is pre-designed and manufactured with water-wettable properties, so no preliminary action with polar solvents is needed. The material is ready for direct use with aqueous samples, eliminating time-consuming pre-conditioning steps while ensuring accurate extraction.
3Reliability
If hydrophobic sorbent materials are used, then the oil and grease extraction capability is improved, but the need for polar solvent pre-conditioning increases the risk of co-solvent contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wettability parameter of the sorbent material from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This allows the material to be activated with water instead of polar solvents, eliminating the source of co-solvent contamination while maintaining the ability to extract oil and grease through the selection of appropriate hydrophilic materials like activated carbon or cellulose.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces the time and labor required for sample preparation, ensures compliance with analytical methods, and allows for field testing of samples by eliminating the need for solvent pre-conditioning, thereby saving costs and improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a water wettable sorbent material comprising hydrophilic sorptive particles
Implementation Method 2
concentrate by sorption at least one hexane extractable material from an organic fluid
Implementation Method 3
water wettable sorbent material comprising hydrophilic sorptive particles embedded in a porous matrix
Data Source
AI summary
A one-piece solid phase extraction article to be used in solid phase extraction analysis, a filtration funnel comprising the one piece solid phase extraction article, and a method of use of the article. The article, device and method provide for improved analysis of hexane extractable material by eliminating the standard use of polar solvents to pre-condition the sorbent materials. The one-piece solid phase extraction article comprises water wettable monomeric phase type sorptive material embedded within a porous matrix. The water wettable monolithic polymeric sorptive material may be a hydrophilic polymeric gel, such as functionalized C-18 sorbent material, and the porous matrix may be fibrous matric, such as a glass fiber. The one-piece solid phase extraction article may further comprise one or more pre-filtration layers which do not contain the sorptive particles.