Improvement of closed vessel counductively heated digestion system

• Grant number: 20/00907-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: November 01, 2020
• End date: July 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alan Lima Vieira
• Grantee: Alan Lima Vieira
• Company: Vert Pesquisa, Desenv. Experimental Ciências Físicas Naturais Ltda
• CNAE: Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• Associated researchers: Boaventura Freire dos Reis ; Gabriel Gustinelli Arantes de Carvalho ; Marcos Yassuo Kamogawa ; Pedro Vitoriano de Oliveira
• Associated scholarship(s): 21/00252-6 - Development of fertilizer and feed digestion methods, BP.TT; 20/14699-0 - Improvement of closed vessel counductively heated digestion system, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Although modern instrumental techniques allow the fast multielemental and simultaneous determination of trace concentrations (e.g., < µg kg-1), dissolution of solid samples can take 5 min or even 48 h, depending on the complexity of samples. Sample preparation is the most expensive step in the analytical procedure, and can introduce substantial systematic and non-systematic errors. In general, organic and inorganic materials are decomposed or digested with mineral oxidant acids, in closed or open vessels, at higher temperatures. Most recently, the feasibility of a conductively heated digestion system in closed vessels was demonstrated for the decomposition of organic samples, such as plant materials, animal tissues and foods. The system is relatively simple and combines the simplicity of digestion blocks with the key benefits offered by closed systems. However, improvements in the equipment are still necessary. The aim of this project is to upgrade a new sample digester based on conductively heated digestion system in closed vessels aiming towards improvements on digestion efficiency, simplicity and operational safety. The scientific and technical challenges include the upgrade in the digestion vessel and in the digestion chamber. The technological improvement to be reached within this project will improve the competitiveness of the proposed digestor in the Market. The reached knowledge will guide the equipment production at industrial scale in order to get into the market of sample preparation for elemental analysis, especially in the agronomic and food segments. (AU)