Shimadzu Journal Vol. 07 - Environmental Analysis and more...

Significance of the Topic

Environmental analysis methods are critical to assess and mitigate pollution in our water, ocean, and air. Societies worldwide demand reliable data on emerging contaminants such as microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chlorinated paraffins, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and more. Advanced analytical techniques enable detection of trace pollutants that threaten ecosystems and human health.

Objectives and Overview

This issue of Shimadzu Journal Vol. 7 Issue 1 focuses on novel environmental analysis workflows. It showcases:

• Field perspectives on microplastic contamination in hadal marine ecosystems.
• New collaborative standard methods for total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) determination.
• Development of an ASTM D7979 LC-MS/MS method for PFAS in water with direct aqueous injection.
• Comprehensive two-dimensional GC-MS analysis of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs).
• Innovations in volatile organic compound (VOC), perchlorate, and herbicide analysis.

Methodology and Instrumentation

• FTIR Microscopy (IRTracer-100 + AIM-9000) for microplastic polymer identification.
• GCxGC-MS (Shimadzu GC×GC-MS-TQ8040) with negative chemical ionization for SCCP congeners.
• Ultra-Fast LC-MS/MS (Shimadzu LCMS-8060/8050) with UFMS™ technology for multi-compound PFAS screening and ASTM D7979 validation.
• Shimadzu TOC-L/TNM for combined TOC and TN catalytic combustion–chemiluminescence measurements.
• Triple-quadrupole LC-MS/MS for perchlorate, glyphosate, glufosinate, and other polar pollutants.
• TD-GC/MS for VOCs and Py-GC/MS for phthalate esters screening.

Main Results and Discussion

Deep-sea amphipods collected from six Pacific trenches (6,948–10,890 m) showed microplastic ingestion in over 72% of specimens, confirming plastic bioavailability at hadal depths. SCCP concentrations in Chinese industrial products varied from 0.16% to 73.7%, with C13Cl7 and C13Cl8 dominating at mid-chlorination levels. The validated PFAS LC-MS/MS workflow achieved MDLs of 0.6–5.4 ng/L, recoveries of 84–113%, and 9-point calibration up to 200 ng/L using only 5 mL direct injections. New TOC and TN methods (ASTM D7573, D8083, SM 4500-N E) demonstrated inter-laboratory reproducibility. GC-MS/MS pesticide methods (ASTM WK54549) and PFAS direct-injection standards (ASTM D7979) deliver compliance monitoring without complex sample prep.

Benefits and Practical Applications

These developments shorten analysis times, reduce solvent use and sample volumes, and enhance sensitivity and specificity for regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and research. The automated recovery features and IoT-enabled diagnostics in Shimadzu’s Nexera UHPLC series and UFMS™ enhance lab productivity and data reliability.

Future Trends and Opportunities

• Integration of AI and IoT for predictive maintenance and automated data interpretation.
• Expansion of multi-omics environmental assessments combining NMR, GC×GC, and LC-MS techniques.
• Collaborative method development via ASTM and ISO to rapidly address new contaminant classes.
• Adoption of direct-injection LC-MS/MS and advanced sample-prep robotics for high-throughput screening.
• Continuous monitoring networks deploying miniaturized sensor arrays and portable spectroscopy.

Conclusion

Advances in analytical instrumentation and consensus standard methods are elevating environmental monitoring capabilities. From the deepest ocean trenches to municipal tap water, these technologies provide robust, high-throughput solutions for detecting trace contaminants and protecting ecosystems and public health.

References

• Jamieson AJ, et al. Royal Soc Open Sci. 2019;6:181056. Microplastics in hadal amphipods.
• Reth M, Oehme M. J Chromatogr A. 2005;1081:225–231. SCCP response–chlorine calibration.
• ASTM D7979-17. Determination of PFAS in water by LC-MS/MS.
• Shimadzu application notes: GC×GC-MS TQ8040 for SCCPs; LCMS-8060 UFMS™ for PFAS (GCMS-1601).
• US EPA Method 537.1. PFAS in drinking water by SPE and LC-MS/MS.