*Complete Ion Chromatography (IC) System
A standard IC setup for sulfate includes:
A. Ion Chromatograph Main Unit
- Isocratic pump
- Injector or Autosampler
- Column oven (temperature control)
- Conductivity detector
- System controller + interface
Leading models:
- Thermo Dionex ICS-1100 / ICS-2100 / ICS-4000
- Metrohm 930 Compact IC Flex
- Metrohm 940 Professional IC
- Shimadzu Prominence IC
- Agilent 1260 Infinity II
*Summary
To analyze sulfate by ion chromatography, you need:
Essential Equipment:
Ion Chromatograph main unit
Suppressor (electrolytic preferred)
Anion column + guard column
Conductivity detector
Eluent generation or manual eluent prep
Software (Chromeleon / MagIC Net / LabSolutions)
Sample prep tools (filters, syringes, DI water)
- Calibration standards
*Data System / Chromatography Software
Used for:
- Peak integration
- Calibration curves
- Quantitation
- Reporting
Examples:
- Thermo Chromeleon
- Metrohm MagIC Net
- Shimadzu LabSolutions IC
- Agilent OpenLab CDS
* Suppressor System (Critical for Sulfate Detection)
Suppressor reduces background conductivity and increases sensitivity.
Types of suppressors:
- Electrolytic suppressor (best option)
- Chemical suppressor
Examples:
- Thermo ASRS 300 (Anion Self-Regenerating Suppressor)
- Metrohm MSM / MCS suppressors
- Shimadzu SCD-2 suppresso
*Eluent System
You must supply eluent to the column.
Option 1: Manual Eluent Preparation
- Carbonate/Bicarbonate mixture (e.g., 4.5 mM Na₂CO₃ / 1.4 mM NaHCO₃)
Option 2: Eluent Generator (EGC)
Generates clean eluent automatically—best for precision:
- Dionex EGC Cartridge (KOH or carbonate)
*Data Analysis Software
Software to control IC, integrate peaks, and calculate sulfate concentration:
- Chromeleon (Thermo)
- MagIC Net (Metrohm)
- Shimadzu LabSolutions IC
- Agilent OpenLab CDS
- Sample Preparation Equipment
Industrial effluent samples require thorough preparation to protect the IC column.
Basic Sample Prep Tools:
- 0.45 µm membrane filters (PES/PTFE)
- Disposable syringes
- Centrifuge (to remove solids)
- pH meter
- Micropipettes and tips
- Class-A volumetric flasks
- DI Water system (18 MΩ·cm)
Optional Cleanup Tools:
- C18 SPE cartridge (removes oils/organics)
- Anion exchange cleanup cartridges (for heavy matrices
*Sample Preparation Equipment
To handle industrial effluent, you will need:
Filtration
- 0.45 µm syringe filters (PTFE/PES)
- 0.22 µm vial filters
- Vacuum filtration setup (for dirty samples)
Centrifuge (optional but helpful)
- For separating heavy solids before injection.
Volumetric equipment
- Volumetric flasks (Class A)
- Micropipettes + tips
- Disposable syringes
pH meter
To adjust pH (if carbonate <—> strong matrix effect)
Sample cleanup tools:
- C18 SPE cartridges (remove organics)
- Ion-exchange cleanup cartridges (optional)
*Anion Exchange Chromatography Columns
*Analytical Column (for separation)
Common choices:
- Dionex IonPac AS22 (standard for sulfate/chloride/nitrate)
- Dionex IonPac AS23 (better separation for nitrate/ sulfate/ nitrite)
- Metrohm Metrosep A Supp 4 or A Supp 5
- Shim-pack IC-SA2 (Shimadzu)
*Guard Column (mandatory for industrial effluent)
Protects main column from:
- Organics
- Turbidity
- High salts
Examples:
- AG22 / AG23
- Metrosep A Supp Guard
- Shim-pack IC-SA2 Guard
· Detergent Industry: As a filler in powdered laundry detergents
· Textile Industry: Dyeing and finishing agent
· Glass Manufacturing: Used in refining molten glass
· Paper Industry: For kraft pulping processes
- · Other Uses: Ceramics, pharmaceuticals, and lab reagents
*Core Ion Chromatography Equipment
A complete IC system for sulfate analysis includes the following key components:
*Ion Chromatograph Main Unit
Contains:
- Pump (isocratic or gradient)
- Injection valve (manual or autosampler)
- Column oven (temperature control)
- Detector (typically suppressed conductivity)
Recommended systems (widely used):
- Thermo Dionex ICS-1100 / ICS-2100 / ICS-4000
- Metrohm 930 Compact IC Flex
- Metrohm 940 Professional IC
- Shimadzu Prominence IC
- Agilent 1260 Infinity II IC system
- Any equivalent suppressor-based IC system is suitable.
