Automated Sample Preparation for the Analysis of Dioxins and PCBs

LCTech (Germany) presents its Dioxin system DEXTech at Dioxin 2014 that takes place in Madrid from 31st of August to 5th of September. After the sample injection the DEXTech handles the separation and fractionation of dioxins and PCBs from the matrix in a multi-stage process automatically.

In order to make the sample preparation for the Dioxin analysis easier and to reduce the processing time significantly, LCTech GmbH, specialists in automated sample preparation, developed the automated Dioxin system DEXTech in cooperation with CVUA Münster/Germany.

Due to the high level of automation, the system reduces the processing time to only 96 minutes. Depending on the matrix up to 5 g fat can be applied onto the columns.

The small footprint of the stand-alone device enables the parallel use of several systems side by side. This also leads to an immense increase of the throughput and additionally provides the opportunity to handle each method independently at any time.

The electric locking system that clamps the columns tightly also enables an easy replacement of the ready-to-use columns. Due to the optimal fractionating of the analytes in dioxins, ndl-PCBs/mono-ortho PCBs and non-ortho-PCBs, an overlapping of the single analytes during the chromatographic analysis and a resulting wrong evaluation can be avoided from the beginning.

Only a very small quantity of solvents is needed due to a sophisticated and evaluated method. With a duration of 1 minute and a consumption of solvents of 7 mL, the rinsing process also is very efficient and short. Cross-contamination is reliably eliminated.

The handling of the system is done via touch-screen, giving the user the possibility to choose either the default method, usable for all matrices within the range of food and feed, or to create a new method very quickly and easily.

The system consists of high-quality materials and therefore is long-living with very low requirements of maintenance.