CEM Microwave Systems can be used for Newly Approved USEPA Method 3546

CEM Corporation, a leading global company specializing in scientific solutions for critical laboratory applications, is pleased to announce that the Company’s licensed microwave extraction process for organic analytes has been officially recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency with the publication of Method 3546 in the Federal Register on January 3, 2008.

“This method will be very beneficial to both the environment and laboratories conducting environmental testing,” said Michael J. Collins, president and CEO of CEM Corporation. “It is a green chemistry technology that offers a 10-fold reduction in solvent usage, takes less energy to perform than conventional methods, and is much faster than current technologies. Laboratories conducting this type of testing should be able to reduce their turnaround time on a batch of samples to 1-2 days.”

CEM worked closely with Environment Canada to pioneer the microwave extraction process, known as MAP™ (Microwave Assisted Process). Environment Canada holds the patents for the process for which CEM is the only licensed manufacturer of the technology for use with USEPA Method 3546. The recently approved method is for extracting semi-volatile organic compounds, organophosphorus pesticides, organochlorine pesticides, chlorinated herbicides, phenoxyacid herbicides, substituted phenols, PCBs and PCDDs/PCDFs from soils, clays, sediments, sludges, and solid wastes.

CEM’s Xpress Technologyfor the MARSXpress™ Microwave Reaction System and the LabXpress™ Filtration System provides a full process extraction and filtration tool that can quickly process 80 samples from start to finish in less than 4 hours compared to 20 hours for an ASE^® system and up to 48 hours for Soxhlet. The microwave extractions themselves can be safely done in minutes and are both labor saving and cost-effective.

“As a chemist-driven company, we strive everyday to create a new and better way to do things, so it’s very exciting to see a method like 3546 be approved. It is certain to have a huge impact on the environmental testing market,” concluded Collins.