Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio, USA is a nationally ranked, public university with a strong research profile delivering comprehensive learning experiences. For more than a century the institute has dedicated its resources to benefit both local and global causes through education and meaningful partnerships.

The University is home to an environmental chemistry research team led by W. Robert Midden, Ph.D., whose research group’s mission is “to advance scientific understanding of the processes that determine the health and welfare of our local, regional, national, and global environmental resources.” Its analytical work supports research on wetlands and other ecosystems.

Dr. Midden has dedicated almost 40 years to science at the University, joining in July 1987 as a faculty member in the Chemistry Department, retiring in July 2019 and now working as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Research Professor conducting scientific research full-time.

The Challenge: Reliable Data Across Water, Soil, and Plant Samples

The grant-funded research his team carries out is for stakeholders including Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. EPA. The lab analyzes water, soil, and plant tissue samples to help advance scientific understanding of wetlands and other ecosystems.

Its water analyses include total phosphorus, total nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphate, ammonia, and nitrate plus nitrite. Soil testing includes nutrients, Mehlich-3 extracted phosphorus, aluminum and iron, as well as pH and electrical conductivity. The team also measures total phosphorus and total nitrogen in plant tissue.

Manual testing of these samples can be time-consuming and can be open to operator errors which inevitably produces less accurate and consistent results, influencing the conclusions drawn from a study. For Dr. Midden’s team, the laboratory’s data informs grant-funded research, wetland design and maintenance decisions, and peer-reviewed scientific publications. Inaccurate or delayed results could affect project timelines, waste money and compromise interpretation of wetland function.

For a group working across multiple sample types, the team needed an approach that could improve the pace and consistency of analysis while meeting its reporting requirements.

Finding a Faster Approach to Analysis

The team wanted faster, more accurate analysis and reporting that would satisfy its quality-control and quality-assurance requirements.

SEAL discrete analyzers offered the laboratory a way to automate many of its wet-chemistry analyses on a single, easy-to-manage system. The team began using an AQ2 in 2010, establishing a workflow that could support its continuing research. The AQ2 began handling testing for parameters across water, soil, and plant tissue samples as listed below.

Building on More Than a Decade with SEAL

More than 15 years ago, the laboratory partnered with SEAL Analytical, onboarding an AQ2 discrete analyzer that is still running daily in their lab today. The biggest compliment to our partnership was when the team added an AQ400 discrete analyzer to increase capacity and throughput of routine nutrient analysis, all the while maintaining consistent results and low cost per test.

The AQ400 is the successor to the AQ2, offering a higher throughput, increased capacity, and easier maintenance than its predecessor.  In Dr. Midden’s lab, the AQ2 continues running alongside the AQ400 offering simultaneous analysis and system redundancy.

Higher Throughput with Less Reagent Use

For Dr. Midden, the biggest day-to-day difference has been the amount of work the laboratory can complete. He reports much higher sample throughput and more accurate results, along with lower costs for supplies and personnel. With greater throughput, the same staff can process many more samples.

The analyzers’ small reagent volumes also matter to the laboratory. Using less reagent reduces both reagent costs and chemical waste across its ongoing analytical work.

Reliable Performance and Knowledgeable Support

The analyzers combined reliable day-to-day performance with “superb” technical support. Dr. Midden describes the systems as “workhorses that have been in use approximately 8 hours per day, five days per week for years and have performed well and consistently.”

He places equal value on the support available when a problem arises. According to Dr. Midden, SEAL technical support is nearly always immediately available and provides knowledgeable guidance that helps the team restore performance quickly.

Supporting Research for the Long Term

Dependable analysis and increased data sets has strengthened the laboratory’s ability to produce credible research for government agencies, stakeholders and the broader scientific community. The lab’s long experience with the AQ2, followed by its addition of an AQ400, shows the value it has found in SEAL instrumentation and support as they continue to fulfill their mission.

Dr. Midden sums up the relationship this way:

SEAL provides excellent products that work well and reliably and provides outstanding product support to help ensure continued high  performance.

Explore SEAL Solutions for Environmental Research

Interested in learning how discrete analyzers can support your laboratory’s workflow? Explore SEAL Analytical’s discrete analyzer solutions or contact our team to discuss applications for nutrient analysis, environmental testing, quality assurance, and automated wet chemistry.