Micro Elemental Analyser and Macro Elemental Analyser.

The elemental analysis carries out quantitative analyses of solid, liquid and viscous samples, as well as filters, to determine the content of C (carbon), H (hydrogen), N (nitrogen), S (sulphur) and O (oxygen), expressed as a percentage by weight. Elemental analysis is mainly used in environmental research to determine the C, H, N and S content in soil, plant and water or air filter samples. The Service has an elemental micro-analyser, which allows the simultaneous determination of the percentage of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur in micro-samples (1 to 10 mg). The analysis technique is fully automated and is based on the complete combustion of the sample under optimal conditions (950 to 1100 °C and a pure oxygen atmosphere), to convert the aforementioned elements into simple gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water and sulphur dioxide), which are transported via a carrier gas to thermal conductivity detection (TCD) systems and highly selective infrared (IR) systems, thereby enabling the simultaneous determination of CHNS. In addition, a macro elemental analyser is available which allows the determination of nitrogen/protein, or carbon/nitrogen and sulphur percentages in samples that are typically heterogeneous, difficult to prepare or of low content, as it can analyse more than 3 grams of sample and the furnace temperature can reach up to 1450 °C, enabling the analysis of complex matrices. Share on