HazMat Regs Increase Demand for Analytical ToolsInstrument manufacturers see new opportunities as fast growing regions of the world implement new monitoring procedures.by Bernard Tulsi
Against a background of elevated security concerns and awareness of the dangers of toxic materials in our food and environment, an increased effort is being made in lab testing procedures and analytical instrumentation to help keep hazardous materials out of the supply chain, out of manufactured goods, and out of discarded, end-of-life products.
Environmental safety is often a matter of personal, corporate and even national virtue. But to ensure hazardous materials are kept out of the environment as comprehensively and consistently as possible, government and regional regulatory authorities have enacted a number of directives and monitoring regimens around which they are enforcing strict compliance.
In the U.S., the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) constitutes the primary federal law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes. Many states have their own hazardous waste rules, but the federal statute also empowers individual states to enforce several RCRA directives. RCRA is the result of a 1976 amendment to the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965. In 1984, the hazardous and solid waste amendments were attached.
To provide guidance on sampling and analytical methods for RCRA compliance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed an official compendium, titled Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods, also known as SW-846. This compendium provides guidance on acceptable, though not required, methodologies that may be employed in response to RCRA sampling and analysis requirements. The 6010 methods in SW-846, for example, describe processes including inductively coupled plasma and atomic emission spectroscopy, while the 7000 methods cover atomic absorption techniques. In general, a different analytical method is indicated for each element—aluminum, chromium, cobalt, iron and lead, among all others.
European regulationsAnother major regulation, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), was instituted by the European Union (E.U.) in July 2006 to regulate hazardous materials in consumer electronics. The genesis of the decision to implement these directives can be traced back to the late-1980s amid concerns about the amount of hazardous materials ending up in European landfills. Among the RoHS regulated substances are the toxic heavy metals, mainly lead, cadmium and mercury. Also included is chromium, especially the carcinogen hexavalent chromium. Other regulated substances include polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). RoHS is an extension of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) measure, which was started in 2005 to address automobile-related materials. Earlier regulatory efforts included end-of-life vehicles in 2000; this was enacted to limit the accumulation of vehicle batteries.
Drawing lessons from the RoHS regulations in Europe, a number of industrial countries, including China, Japan and Taiwan, are drafting similar regulations. RoHS has important ramifications for products sold in Europe. Now, with more regions seeking to implement regulations, products that are deemed non-compliant will increasingly face challenges to measure up—if they are not rejected outright.
These regulatory regimens have spawned substantial opportunities for analytical instrument manufacturers because of the increasing global need for both screening and quantitative analytical methodologies, according to Bill Spence, marketing manager, AA and ICP Products, Scientific Instruments Div., Thermo Fisher Scientific. "There's a huge new demand for analytical work," he says.
Spence's responsibility includes instrumentation for analyzing elemental contaminants. Product suppliers or recyclers are able to use a two-tier analytical approach for this group. The first tier is a screening method that is done at line or near line on the actual production floor using handheld or benchtop devices, which are suitable for users without much training in chemistry.
X-ray fluorescenceThermo Fisher's X-ray fluorescence products have found a key place in these analyses. "Our Niton instruments are handheld X-ray fluorescence units capable of measuring low levels of lead, cadmium, mercury or chromium and are suitable for first line screening," says Spence.
The Niton XLt 797 handheld analyzer provides users with a rapid, reliable and nondestructive way to screen plastics and electronic components. It is used for the rapid quantitative analysis of cadmium, lead, mercury, total chromium and total bromine. It generates data for quick go/no-go decisions and enables the analysis of PCBs, board components, plastic housings, cables and plated fasteners, among other components on a single instrument. The XLt 797 is suited for compliance screening in manufacturing and border control and in recycling scrap for WEEE compliance.
Thermo Fisher also offers benchtop products that allow near line screening. These second-tier tools allow the non-technical users running them to have increased confidence in the results.
Thermo's Micro XR also provides microscopic analysis with micro X-ray techniques. These are useful for spot analysis of small samples or components. The MicroXR console platform is particularly suitable for measuring coating thickness. The platform combines microbeam X-ray technology and EDXRF to create a non-contact, non-destructive technology that is suitable for metallic thin-film measurements.
"In general, X-ray fluorescence is used for non-destructive testing or rapid elemental analysis—rapid meaning a few minutes to a maximum of 10 minutes per sample per analysis, including sample prep time.
"This is an important advantage of X-ray fluorescence—samples can be analyzed in their solid state. That represents opportunities in various industries, especially where samples are not easily dissolved into a liquid form. These include silica-based or geologically based materials, such as minerals, substances mined out of the ground, ceramics, cement and metals," says Thermo's Anton Kleyn, product manager, X-Ray Fluorescence Equipment.
In addition to their rapid initial screening capabilities, handheld EDXRF instruments can be used in recycling plants and operations involved in recycling waste electrical components and equipment. "If the levels of regulated metals are found to be higher than the levels mandated by the regulations, probably the best course of action would be to use a more trusted quantitative analysis in a lab setting rather than trust the handheld devices," says Spence. This process is aided by the fact that testing with the handheld instruments is non-destructive, so the sample is readily available for other tests.
Atomic absorption"In the lab setting, applicable techniques include atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy or inductively coupled plasma (ICP), both of which represent next line techniques for conformational analysis," says Spence. Both AA and ICP require liquid samples, which rely on intermediate steps such as microwave digestion after the sample is broken up in a mill.
Thermo has a range of AA and ICP products that are suitable for these analyses. The company's latest AA products include the iCE3000, which is capable of using flame and furnace AA. ICP has a slightly higher initial cost, but it has the advantage of being able to analyze all elements at the same time.
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments provides a broad range of instruments for analyzing hazardous materials, from screening to detailed analyses, that are usable across a broad range of industries, including automotive, chemical, electronics and pharmaceutical.
Robert Clifford, Shimadzu's AA/ICP/X-ray product manager, says that more effective approaches for metals analyses are X-ray, ICP and AA. In the X-ray category, Shimadzu has three EDXRF-based models in its EDX series—the baseline EDX-720, the EDX-800HS equipped with an ultra-thin polymer window detector to facilitate detection of low atomic number elements, and the EDX-900HS, which incorporates a high-count Peltier-cooled, silicon-drift detector.
An advantage of Shimadzu's EDX instruments is that they use a non-destructive technique that requires no sample preparation. These benchtop instruments have specialized filters and are capable of parts-per-million (ppm) measurements without pretreatment. They have applications in RoHS and ELV regulatory compliance and also in the quantitative analysis and monitoring of chemicals, electronics, petrochemicals, metals, the environment and food.
Inductively coupled plasmaICP systems generate a high-temperature plasma by ionizing argon gas at a high frequency. This process is initiated by suctioning liquid samples through a nebulizer. The sample is then vaporized and injected into the plasma, thereby exciting the atoms within the sample. Mass spectrometry is then used to place the ionized atoms in a vacuum and assess their mass. The recently introduced Shimadzu ICPE-9000 is used for a variety of high-precision analytical assessments from high-level R&D to environmental analysis and high-concentration component analysis.
The basic process of AA spectroscopy starts with liquid samples suctioned by a nebulizer and then sprayed into a burner where they are heated and atomized. In the atomized state, the sample is irradiated by light from a cathode lamp. The atoms in the sample absorb light wavelengths characteristic for the elements under investigation. The levels of absorption are carefully measured and form the basis for the quantitative analysis of the sample element. Shimadzu's AA-6300 atomic absorption spectrometer provides high-level sensitivity for trace-level analysis.
Like other major analytical instrumentation companies, PerkinElmer manufactures AA, ICP and ICP-MS systems for determining the concentration of metals in hazardous materials. PerkinElmer is also involved in compliance testing for RoHS regulations, according to Ian Shuttler, VP of PerkinElmer's Inorganic Analysis Business Unit. "We're particularly involved in the Pacific Rim region, where the Japanese and Chinese manufacturers have invested very heavily in our equipment to help ensure compliance."
For hazardous materials samples with high concentrations, and where the samples are very dirty, the optimal analysis would be either AA or ICP with an optical emission detector, according to Shuttler. "The continuous evolution of analytical products makes them easier to use, such as improved software, increased capabilities, speed and throughput," he says. "The instrumentation available is quite capable of meeting the detection limits required by various regulations. It's very rare that a regulation is enacted and the technology doesn't exist to handle the required analysis. Within our Eco Analytics initiative, we offer complete solutions that provide the instrumentation along with the front-end methodologies and training."
For more information, contact:
• Robert Clifford, AA/ICP/X-Ray Product Manager, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, rhclifford@shimadzu.com, 410-381-1227
• Ian Shuttler, VP Inorganic Analysis, PerkinElmer, ian.shuttler@perkinelmer.com, 203-402-6874
• Bill Spence, Marketing Manager AA and ICP, Thermo Fisher Scientific, bill.spence@thermofisher.com, +44 1606 548 788
• Anton Kleyn, Product Manager X-Ray Fluorescence, Thermo Fisher Scientific, anton.kleyn@thermofisher.com, 608-347-2739
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