CEM microwave systems can be used for USEPA method 3546

CEM’s licensed microwave extraction process for organic analytes has been officially recognised by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (UESPA).

The company is the only licensed manufacturer of the technology for use with USEPA Method 3546.

Its Microwave Assisted Process (MAP) is utilised for extracting semi-volatile organic compounds, organophosphorus pesticides, organochlorine pesticides, chlorinated herbicides, phenoxyacid herbicides, substituted phenols, PCBs and PCDDs/PCDFs from soils, clays, sediments, sludges, and solid wastes.

According to CEM, its Xpress Technology for the MARSXpress Microwave Reaction System and the LabXpress Filtration System provides a full process extraction and filtration tool that can quickly process 80 samples from start to finish in less than four hours.

Michael Collins, president and chief executive officer of CEM said that the method will be beneficial to both the environment and laboratories conducting environmental testing.

"It is a green chemistry technology that offers a tenfold reduction in solvent usage, takes less energy to perform than conventional methods, and is much faster than current technologies," Mr Collins continued.

"Laboratories conducting this type of testing should be able to reduce their turnaround time on a batch of samples to one to two days."