Chemcatcher
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T.E. Laboratories (TelLab), based in Tullow, Ireland, holds the global licence to manufacture and sell Chemcatcher®. Chemcatcher® is a passive sampling device for monitoring a variety of pollutants in water. Most monitoring programmes involve the periodic collection of low volume spot samples (bottle or grab) of water, which is challenging, particularly where levels fluctuate over time and when chemicals are only present at trace, yet toxicologically relevant concentrations. Chemcatcher® is used to measure time-weighted average (TWA) or equilibrium concentrations of a wide range of pollutants in water. This allows the end user to obtain a more representative picture of the chemicals that may be present in the aquatic environment. The Chemcatcher® concept was developed[1][2] by Professors Richard Greenwood and Graham Mills at the University of Portsmouth, together with colleagues from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. The device is patented[3][4] in a number of countries and the name is a registered trademark in Ireland and the United Kingdom[5]
Chemcatcher® comprises a reusable three component, water-tight PTFE body. Two different designs are available to accommodate different types of commercially available 47 mm diameter receiving phase disks:
The sampler can be deployed in the field for extended periods of time ranging from days to weeks. The specific pollutants of interest are sequestered by the samplers and these are retained on the receiving phase disk. After retrieval from the environment the pollutants are eluted from the disk and analysed in the laboratory using conventional instrumental methods. In order to obtain TWA concentrations the sampler must first be calibrated in the laboratory so as to ascertain the uptake rate (usually measured as the volume of water cleared per unit time i.e. L/h for the analyte) of the pollutant of interest. Chemcatcher® has been used in a range of aquatic environments; however, most work to date has been in monitoring the TWA concentrations of priority and emerging pollutants surface waters.[6][7][8]
The use of passive sampling devices,[9][10] such as Chemcatcher® or polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS), have a number of advantages over the use of spot or bottle sampling for monitoring pollutants in the aquatic environment. The latter technique gives only an instantaneous concentration of the pollutant as the specific time of sampling. Passive samplers, depending on their mode of use, can give either the TWA or equilibrium concentration of the pollutant over the deployment period. The measurement of TWA concentrations can give a better indication of the long-term environmental conditions and enables improved risk assessment. Chemcatcher® can be used to monitor both polar and non-polar compounds.
References
- ^ Kingston J, Greenwood R, Mills GA, Morrison GM, Björklund-Persson L (2000). "Development of a novel passive sampling system for the timed-averaged measurement of a range of organic pollutants in aquatic environments". J Environ Monit. 2 (5): 487–495. doi:10.1039/b003532g. PMID 11254055.
- ^ Björklund L, Morrison GM, Friemann JU, Kingston J, Mills GA, Greenwood R (2001). "Diffusional behaviour of metals in a passive sampling system for monitoring aquatic pollution". J Environ Monit. 3 (6): 639–645. doi:10.1039/b107959j. PMID 11785639.
- ^ Greenwood, R; Kingston J; Mills GA; Morrison G; Björklund-Persson L. "Design and application of passive sampling device for the timed-average measurement of organic compounds in the aquatic environment". UK Patent No 2353860: Granted February 2004.
- ^ Greenwood, R; Kingston J; Mills GA; Morrison G; Björklund-Persson L. "Design and application of passive sampling device for the timed-average measurement of organic compounds in the aquatic environment". US Patent Application No. 10/069351: Granted June 2006.
- ^ Intellectual Property Office. "Case details for Trade Mark 2450451". Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Allan, IJ; Knutsson J; Guigues N; Mills GA; Fouillac A-M; Greenwood R (2008). "Chemcatcherand DGT passive sampling devices for regulatory monitoring of trace metals in surface water". J Environ Monit. 10 (7): 821–829. doi:10.1039/b802581a. PMID 18688449.
- ^ Vrana, B; Mills GA; Leonards PEG; Kotterman M; Weideborg M; Hajslova J; Kocourek V; Tomaniova M; Pulkrabova J; Suchanova M; Hajkova K; Herve S; Ahkola H; Greenwood R (2010). "Field performance of the Chemcatcher passive sampler for monitoring hydrophobic organic pollutants in surface water". J Environ Monit. 12 (4): 863–872. doi:10.1039/b923073d. PMID 20383367.
- ^ Allan, IJ; Booij K; Paschke A; Vrana B; Mills GA; Greenwood R (2009). "Field performance of seven passive sampling devices for monitoring of hydrophobic substances". Environ Sci Technol. 43 (14): 5383–5390. doi:10.1021/es900608w. PMID 19708370.
- ^ Greenwood, R; Mills, G; Vrana, B, eds. (2007). Passive sampling techniques in environmental monitoring (Comprehensive Analytical Chemistry series, D Barcelo (series ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. pp. 453. ISBN 978-0-444-52225-2.|url=http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/711413/description#description
- ^ Vrana, B; et al. (2005). "Passive sampling techniques for monitoring of pollutants in water (Review Article)". TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 24 (10): 845–868. doi:10.1016/j.trac.2005.06.006.