ESI seaFAST S2 Preconcentration System
April 13, 2026
With recent BEG/JSG funding we are installing an ESI seaFAST S2 preconcentration system to the clean room facilities in early May, 2026. The instrument uses automated ion-exchange columns to remove major ions from high-salinity samples (e.g., seawater, produced oil field waters) and thereby concentrate trace elements that otherwise would be below detection. The system will be used for offline sample preparation, and has a throughput of one sample every 10-12 minutes.
On the periodic table to the right, elements in green (many transition metals and the lanthanides) are concentrated for analysis in a much more dilute matrix. Elements shown in blue are sufficiently abundant that they can be analyzed after ~150x dilution for seawater. The new methodology is expected to extend research capabilities in strategic elements such as REEs. As an example of the benefit of preconcentration, compared to the lightest (La) and heaviest (Lu) REE in seawater, Na is respectively ~250 million and 70 billion times more concentrated. The seaFAST S2 facilitates quantitative analysis of REEs and other trace elements.
