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Advanced Solutions for Environmental Contaminant Analysis

Determination of PFAS in Environmental Waters

With thousands of PFAS compounds present in the environment, laboratories face increasing pressure to monitor these persistent contaminants at ever-lower concentrations. Achieving reliable results can be difficult when traditional extraction methods are time-consuming and extractions include interferences from complex sample matrices.

 Explore how dynamic headspace extraction with thermal desorption reduces sample preparation complexity, minimizes solvent use, reducing the risk of contamination, and enables efficient preconcentration of volatile and semi-volatile PFAS. Learn how utilizing advanced analytical techniques such as gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC-TOFMS), enhanced sensitivity and selectivity to reveal compounds that might otherwise go undetected in environmental water samples.

Identifying a Targeted Disinfection Byproduct in Wildfire Ash Water Extract by GC-TOFMS

Wildfire ash can introduce a wide range of chemical compounds into drinking water sources, creating new challenges for water quality monitoring. Discover how advanced data acquisition and deconvolution enabled the identification of both a targeted disinfection byproduct and an additional unexpected contaminant in chlorinated water exposed to wildfire ash.

Determination of OCPs and PCBs in Sediments

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), represent significant environmental and public health concerns due to their persistent nature, potential for bioaccumulation, and toxicological effects.

Despite regulatory controls, these contaminants remain detectable in environmental compartments—including sediments and soils—which serve as long-term reservoirs and secondary sources of pollution. Consequently, reliable analytical monitoring of these compounds at ultra-trace concentrations in complex matrices is necessary for environmental assessment and regulatory compliance.

Conventional analytical approaches employing traditional gas chromatography (GC) techniques, often coupled with first-order detection methods (e.g., flame ionization detector, electron capture detector, thermal conductivity detector), may be insufficient to resolve highly complex mixtures typically encountered in environmental samples, especially when targeting numerous structurally similar analytes. To overcome these analytical limitations, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS) has emerged as a robust alternative. This technology offers significantly enhanced separation capability, improved sensitivity, and greater peak resolution compared to conventional methods, thereby facilitating the simultaneous identification and quantification of multiple analytes.

This application note describes an analytical workflow that utilizes solid-phase extraction (SPE) for the cleanup and enrichment of sediment samples prior to analysis by GCxGC-TOFMS using the LECO Pegasus BTX 4D system. The protocol focuses on the simultaneous determination of multiple target OCPs and PCBs, addressing the analytical requirements associated with complex environmental matrices and regulatory criteria.

Determination of Total Carbon (TC) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in Soil by Acid Digestion and Combustion

Total organic carbon (TOC) determination in soil is a widely used method to evaluate soil quality for environmental research and agricultural purposes. TOC levels are a key indicator of soil vitality, fertility, and capacity for atmospheric carbon sequestration. TOC represents the carbon stored in soil organic matter, which plays a vital role in supporting microbial life, enhancing nutrient availability, and improving soil structure. These benefits translate directly into better water retention, reduced erosion, and more resilient crops—key factors for regenerative systems focused on ecosystem restoration and productivity. TOC levels can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of sustainable practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, and the addition of organic matter such as manure and compost. Measuring soil TOC levels helps growers optimize the use of soil amendments like compost and manure to increase organic matter without over-application.

Targeted and Non-Targeted Analysis of DDT Dumpsite

The AUV Sentry and ROV Jason mapped and sampled the Palos Verdes Mass-transport Dumpsite (MTD) off Southern California, an abandoned deep-sea waste site near Los Angeles. Estimates suggest the area contains 336,000–504,000 barrels of acid sludge from DDT production and other industrial wastes. Montrose Chemical Corporation, once the world’s largest DDT producer, discharged large volumes of waste offshore between 1947 and 1961, often closer to shore than permitted. Leaking waste barrels now contaminate the seafloor, introducing persistent organic pollutants (POPs) into the marine food web. Sediment cores collected by ROV Jason and subsequent cruises were analyzed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

In this presentation, researchers Bob Nelson and Chris Reddy of WHOI describe the importance of both targeted and non-targeted sediment core analysis from the Palos Verdes MTD for POPs and other non-targeted compounds by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry.