Milestone microwave ashing systems
The determination of ash content is an important test procedure, performed in thousands of laboratory each day, for process and quality control purposes. Ashing tests are also
carried out on polymers, pharmaceuticals, food and feed samples, as a prerequisite in analytical procedures. While ashing is a relatively simple procedure, it is time consuming and often requires hours to be
accomplished and in addition the energy requirements and operating costs associated with conventional electrical resistance muffle furnaces are quite high. Microwave assisted ashing offers dramatically reduced
ashing times coupled with reduced operating costs. Milestone offers three microwave ashing systems to meet the needs of your laboratory. The PYRO is a highly efficient alternative to conventional muffle furnaces and
dramatically reduces ashing times, from hours to minutes. The PYRO SA is specially engineered for sulphate ashing procedures and allows analysts to add sulphuric acid to samples and place crucibles directly into the microwave muffle furnace without a preliminary charring step. The PYRO XL enables ashing of large volumes of difficult matrices that generate a high quantity of fumes
Typical sulphate ashing times
The PYRO has an extremely large working cavity area. You can easily accommodate up to twelve standard 40 mm wide crucibles at a time
A special Al2O3 vacuum-formed, lightweight ceramic material allows extremely rapid ramping/heating cycles without any damage to the muffle
No heat added to the laboratory. The special microwave-transparent ceramic muffle furnace is an outstanding insulator, minimizing heat loss and transfer to
the surrounding area
The combustion of samples containing organic matter often generates noxious odors. The built-in exhaust system of the PYRO removes fumes from the interior of the furnace and
directs them through an exhaust hose to a fume hood or other outlet
Ashing test procedures performed on pharmaceutical, polymer, and food samples frequently involve the use o f sulphuric acid. Hot acid vapour released during these procedures
is both hazardous to analysts and corrosive to equipment. In addition to these complications, sulphate ashing procedures are typically labour-intensive and time consuming, requiring manual fuming of acid from
crucibles and 8-12 hours to complete. The Pyro-SA is a highly efficient alternative to conventional methods and dramatically reduces sulphate ashing times, from hours to minutes. The PYRO SA sulphate ashing system
enables analysts to add sulphuric acid to samples and place crucibles directly into the microwave muffle furnace without the need for the preliminary charring step. Sulphuric acid fumes released from crucibles
during the sulphate ashing process from inside the muffle furnace are continuously removed through a quartz tube connected to an air-cooled quartz collection vessel outside the unit, and to the VAC-1000 acid
scrubber module. Tedious handling/monitoring of samples and operator exposure to acid fumes are eliminated. The ashing labstation is designed for complete operator safety, long life, and performs the complete
procedure in only 60-90 minutes.
The application of microwave technology to dry ashing procedures has presented a breakthrough in the process and quality control of samples like polymers, petroleum, food and
feeds, pulp paper and pharmaceuticals. The ashing of high volumes of these types of matrices, that generally tend to generate a high quantity of fumes, has been challenging. These fumes often condense when they come
in contact with colder parts of the instrument that results in hard layers of residue forming; this in turn can affect the operation and lifetime of the instrument itself. To specifically address this challenge,
Milestone has developed the PYRO XL that is faster, cleaner and more energy-efficient than conventional ashing systems. The PYRO XL allows the analyst to process multiple crucibles, containing a combined total of up
to 100 grams of sample, simultaneously whilst safely removing fumes and odours to a fume hood via the integral exhaust system
The PYRO and PYROSA labstations are controlled by advanced touchscreen controllers with a large graphic interface that provides automatic realtime monitoring and
feedback based control. The terminals run the Milestone's unique EasyCONTROL software that offers a simple, userfriendly, intuitive operation. Sophisticated PID algorithms will follow preset temperature curve
and allows modification of all parameters, even in the middle of a run
More comfortable working conditions
PYRO SA for sulphate ashing
PYRO XL for ashing of large sample amounts
