Electrochemical digestion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12399110-B2
Application number	US-202117551973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2021
Priority date	Dec 16, 2020
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

An embodiment provides a method for digesting at least one analyte of an aqueous sample, including: introducing an aqueous sample comprising at least one analyte into a digestion device comprising one or more carbon substituted material electrodes; digesting the at least one analyte by applying an electrical potential between an anode and a cathode of the digestion device, wherein the digesting comprises a step-wise disintegration; measuring the at least one analyte of the aqueous sample from the digested material, using a measurement device selected from the group consisting of: an electrochemical device and an optical measurement device; and modifying the electrical potential based upon the measurement of the at least one analyte. Other aspects are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for digesting at least one analyte of an aqueous sample, comprising:
introducing the aqueous sample comprising the at least one analyte into a digestion device comprising two or more carbon substituted material electrodes, wherein the two or more carbon substituted material electrodes comprise an anode and a cathode, wherein the anode is affixed to an anode block and the cathode is affixed to a cathode block;
adjusting, using at least one of the anode block and the cathode block, in real time, a distance between the anode block and the cathode block for each of a successive digestion;
digesting the at least one analyte by applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode of the digestion device, wherein the digesting comprises a step-wise disintegration digestion of the at least one analyte prior to a partial digestion of another analyte, wherein the step-wise disintegration digestion adjusts the distance between the anode block and the cathode block preselected for a given reaction measurement, and a volume of the digestion device;
homogenizing, using a plurality of bubbles, at least one another analyte, wherein the digesting of the at least one analyte generates the plurality of bubbles, wherein the digestion device comprises a gas outlet separate from a digested sample outlet;
measuring the at least one analyte of the aqueous sample from a digested material, using a measurement device selected from the group consisting of: an electrochemical device and an optical measurement device, wherein the measuring comprises a quantification of an interferant; and
modifying the electrical potential based upon the measurement of the at least one analyte.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digesting electrochemically disintegrates the aqueous sample to a measurable form.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interferant is converted by the digesting to a measurable form.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the interferant comprises chloride, wherein the digesting of the chloride to chlorine that is measurable using a colorimetric method.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digesting further comprises production of hydroxyl radicals and oxygen, wherein the oxygen forms bubbles to facilitate homogenization in the aqueous sample.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digesting further comprises production of protons which facilitates solubilization of particulates in the aqueous sample.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one analyte comprises lead, wherein the digesting of the lead generates a plurality of lead species measurable using a colorimetric method, wherein the plurality of lead species is selected from the group consisting of: micro particulate, nano particulate, colloidal, and soluble species.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one analyte comprises an oligomeric perfluoro compound further comprising at least one of: perfluoro octanoic acid, perfluoro octane sulfonic acid, and perfluoro compounds.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the digesting of the oligomeric perfluoro compound generates fluoride measurable using a colorimetric method.

10. A measurement device for digesting at least one analyte of an aqueous sample, comprising:
a digestion device;
two or more carbon substituted material electrodes, wherein the two or more carbon substituted material electrodes comprise an anode and a cathode, wherein the anode is affixed to an anode block and the cathode is affixed to a cathode block;
a processor; and
a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:
introduce the aqueous sample comprising the at least one analyte into the digestion device comprising the two or more carbon substituted material electrodes;
adjust, using at least one of the anode block and the cathode block, in real time, a distance between the anode block and the cathode block for each of a successive digestion;
digest the at least one analyte by applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode of the digestion device, wherein the digesting comprises a step-wise disintegration digestion of the at least one analyte prior to a partial digestion of another analyte, wherein the step-wise disintegration digestion adjusts the distance between the anode block and the cathode block preselected for a given reaction measurement, and a volume of the digestion device;
homogenize, using a plurality of bubbles, at least one another analyte, wherein the digesting of the at least one analyte generates the plurality of bubbles, wherein the digestion device comprises a gas outlet separate from a digested sample outlet;
measure the at least one analyte of the aqueous sample from a digested material, using a measurement device selected from the group consisting of: an electrochemical device and an optical measurement device, wherein the measuring comprises a quantification of an interferant; and
modifying the electrical potential based upon the measurement of the at least one analyte.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the digesting electrochemically disintegrates the aqueous sample to a measurable form.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the interferant is converted by the digesting to a measurable form.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the interferant comprises chloride, wherein the digesting of the chloride to chlorine that is measurable using a colorimetric method.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the digesting further comprises production of hydroxyl radicals and oxygen, wherein the oxygen forms bubbles to facilitate homogenization in the aqueous sample.

15. The device of claim 10 , wherein the digesting further comprises production of protons which facilitates solubilization of particulates in the aqueous sample.

16. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one analyte comprises lead, wherein the digesting of the lead generates a plurality of lead species measurable using a colorimetric method, wherein the plurality of lead species is selected from the group consisting of: micro particulate, nano particulate, colloidal, and soluble species.

17. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one analyte comprises an oligomeric perfluoro compound further comprising at least one of: perfluoro octanoic acid, perfluoro octane sulfonic acid, and perfluoro compounds.

18. A product for digesting at least one analyte of an aqueous sample, comprising:
a digestion device;
two or more carbon substituted material electrodes, wherein the two or more carbon substituted material electrodes comprise an anode and a cathode, wherein the anode is affixed to an anode block and the cathode is affixed to a cathode block; and
a storage device having code stored therewith, the code being executable by the processor and comprising:
code that introduces the aqueous sample comprising the at least one analyte into the digestion device comprising the two or more carbon substituted material electrodes;
code that adjusts, using at least one of the anode block and the cathode block, in real time, a distance between the anode block and the cathode block for each of a successive digestion;
code that digests the at least one analyte by applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode of the digestion device, wherein the digesting comprises a step-wise disintegration digestion of the at least one analyte prior to a partial digestion of another analyte, wherein the step-wise disintegration digestion adjusts the distance between the anode block and the cathode block prese

Assignees

• Hach Co

Inventors

• Rajasekharan Vishnu Vardhanan
• Kroll Dan Jonathan

Classifications

• G01N27/49

  Systems involving the determination of the current at a single specific value, or small range of values, of applied voltage for producing selective measurement of one or more particular ionic species · CPC title

• G01N27/308

  at least partially made of carbon · CPC title

• G01N1/4044

  by chemical techniques; Digestion; Chemical decomposition · CPC title

• G01N27/42

  Measuring deposition or liberation of materials from an electrolyte; Coulometry, i.e. measuring coulomb-equivalent of material in an electrolyte · CPC title

• G01N21/78

  producing a change of colour · CPC title