AIM600 Digestion Block FAQ's
Q. What advantages does a Block Digestor offer over beakers on a hot plate?
A. The AIM600 Block Digestion System provides better quality results, higher productivity of sample throughput, and uses less fume hood space per sample. It is also an automated process and frees the operator to perform other tasks. Digesting samples in a beaker on a hot plate requires constant vigilance and care.
Q. How is Block Digestor more productive?
A. Up to 50 samples can be digested simultaneously with minimal operator supervision.
Q. How does a Block Digestor give better quality end results?
A. 1) All samples on a Block Digestor are processed at exactly the same temperature. Because hot plates have hot and cold spots, all samples are often digested at different temperatures, giving inconsistent / incorrect results.
2) A Block Digestor regulates the exact digestion time and heating rates, whereas on a hot plate, the times are dependent upon an operator to remember to change the digest conditions.
Q. What are the main advantages of the AIM600 Block Digestion System as a Block Digestor?
A. The AIM600 block digestors have the highest sample capacity on the market to provide you with the greatest sample throughput. The AIM600 Digestion Block has a thick 316SS covering, providing a greater measure of acid resistance. The temperature range over the Digestion Block is extremely accurate (better than +/- 2ºC) due to specially designed heating plates, which provides more even sample evaporation to give you more reproducible results. The heat-up time is short, which allows for a quicker digestion process, providing increased sample throughput. By utilizing the programmable controller you can increase the temperature by 1ºC/minute, which provides safer digestion without “bumping” of the digests. The programmable controller allows you to store 20 different programs of up to 30 steps each which provides excellent flexibility and reproducibility. You can also set the Digestion Block to start automatically, work unattended at night saving time and increasing lab productivity. The electronics to control the block digestor are contained in a separate module that is located outside the fume hood away from corrosive acid fumes.
Q. What are the advantages of a Block Digestion System over a Microwave Digestion System?
A. While microwave digestion systems can accelerate the digestion process, block digestion systems still offer a number of distinct advantages:
1) Larger runs – The AIM600 digests more samples in one batch. Larger sample sizes. On a microwave digestion system, you are limited to 0.5 g for inorganic samples, less for organic samples. On the AIM600, you can use 10 x this amount comfortably.
2) Less Operator Involvement – A microwave digestion system requires regular attention by the operator, disassembling and reassembling digestion vessels. On the AIM600, once you add samples and acid, digestion proceeds without intervention by operator. The high operator involvement for the microwave digestion unit tends to negate the faster digestions.
3) More flexibility – It is possible to use a wider range of acids including sulphuric acid and perchloric acid on the AIM600. On a microwave digestion system, sulphuric acid has too high a boiling point and will melt the PTFE vessels while perchloric acid can be explosive under pressure. It is not possible to perform kjeldahl digestions in a microwave system but you can on an AIM600 block digestion system.
4) Cost – The AIM600 block digestion system is much cheaper than a microwave digestion system – typically about a quarter the cost. In addition, microwave digestion systems have on-going consumable costs, such as rupture membranes and digestion vessels have a finite life. The AIM600 does not have on-going consumable costs.
Q. Why does Aim Lab not recommend a fume scrubber/exhaust system?
A. Because fume scrubbers:
1) Do not remove all the fumes, it is still necessary to operate the Digestor in the fume hood. (Other manufacturers who sell scrubbers will confirm this).
2) Connect all samples together, which increases the possibility of cross contamination between samples within a digest.
3) Require washing between batches, to avoid cross contamination between batches. This is a tedious task if done thoroughly.
4) Instead of a fume scrubber/exhaust system, Aim Lab offers tear drop stoppers or splash heads for each individual tube.
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