Ashing


	Telephone 0191 518 1855

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 two 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 identical to the PYRO, with an additional module specially engineered for sulphate ashing procedures. It allows analysts to add sulphuric acid to samples and place crucibles directly into the microwave muffle furnace without a preliminary charring step




Typical sulphate ashing times

Features

High sample throughput through reduced ashing times

Reduced operating costs compared to conventional muffle ovens

Identical ashing results compared to conventional techniques

Odours eliminated through built-in exhaust system

Optimum temperature homogeneity through microwave stirrer

Lightweight ceramic material allows extremely rapid ramping/heating cycles

Temperatures up to 1,000°C reached in under one hour

Highest standards of safety with long operating life

Easy to program with touch screen user interface

Air cooled acid scrubber module with PyroSA to continuously remove sulphuric acid fumes

Sample	Microwave Ashing Temp.(°C)	Microwave Ashing Time(min.)	Traditional Ashing Time(min.)
Cat food	575	15	90
NFT	800	50	480
Cellulose	800	80	500
Heavy oil	550	230	960
Antibiotics	850	65	480
Polyester	600	15	480


	High sample throughput The PYRO has an extremely large working cavity area. You can easily accommodate up to twelve standard 40 mm wide crucibles at a time

More comfortable working conditions
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


	Fast heating rates A special Al2O3 vacuum-formed, lightweight ceramic material allows extremely rapid ramping/heating cycles without any damage to the muffle


	No odours 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

PyroSA
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.


Control interfaces 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