BioChromato Inc. has published an interview that describes how its Smart Evaporator C1 is improving the sample preparation of microbial degradation culture media as part of a new bioremediation technique developed by a leading Environmental Research Center. The bioremediation technique, based upon patented degrading microorganisms impregnated on carbonized wood, has been demonstrated to detoxify persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that cannot be decomposed by natural processes in soil.

Traditionally preparing microbial degradation culture media samples from the bioremediation process for analysis was a time-consuming process using a rotary evaporator to evaporate the culture medium while azeotroping it with acetonitrile. Using this process, samples were often found to be contaminated with water as a result of the steam adsorbed from the water heating bath. Furthermore, as the microbial liquid culture media samples tended to become more viscous as they were concentrated, researchers had to closely monitor the process to avoid solvent bumping and consequent sample loss.

Using a Smart Evaporator C1, the Environmental Research Centre can now evaporate the culture medium samples without azeotroping saving considerable time and avoiding costly use of non ‘eco-friendly’ organic solvents. Additionally, as the Smart Evaporator does not use a water bath to heat samples the steam contamination problem was eliminated. Finally, because the Smart Evaporator C1 operates at normal pressure there is no risk of solvent bumping meaning samples could be left to dry unattended. Drawing upon patented Vacuum Vortex Concentration technology, the Smart Evaporator C1 offers fast and effective evaporation in tubes or vials without solvent bumping thereby eliminating risk of sample loss, cross contamination and saving researcher’s time. 

Read Interview: https://biochromato.com/testimonials/smart-evaporator/no.36/