The portable Salvus® PFAS solution enables teams to extract, concentrate, and screen samples for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at the point of concern.
The PFAS solution aims to remove the waiting period between sending samples to laboratories to be tested, instead allowing for faster and effective assessment of PFAS levels whilst on-site.
“For anyone whose plan depends on a PFAS number, timely screening results matter just as much as the number itself. Teams need a result they can act on quickly,” said Andre Tatar, general manager of Salvus.
“Whether the job is AFFF cleanout and foam transition, monitoring influent and effluent during PFAS destruction, site characterization and treatment system tuning, or something else dependent on knowing PFAS levels, our portable Salvus PFAS solution currently delivers a single quantitative result for the sum of C6 and longer PFAS. Results are designed to track what an EPA Method 1633 report breaks out line-by-line to an effective limit of detection (LoD) of 500 ppt. These are field screening results and not certified compliance data. They’re meant to help a team make a decision while they are still at the point of concern,” Tatar explained.
The Salvus PFAS on-site screening solution consists of three portable modules
The Salvus APEX™ (Automated Portable Extraction) module automates the sample preparation process. It also can concentrate the sample, which is what brings the effective LoD down to 500 ppt. Once the extraction process is complete, the sample is mixed with a buffer and placed in the Salvus FLOW™ module, which works with the Salvus PRISM™ (Portable Real-time Interferometric Sensing Module) to screen the sample and provide results.
While the FLOW and PRISM are reading the current sample, the user can add the next sample to the APEX to begin processing it in parallel. This allows an operator to screen up to seven samples during an eight-hour shift, with actual throughput dependent on the original sample concentration and matrix. As each customer scenario is unique, Tatar has found a three-staged approach to full-scale deployment to be most effective.
“Six months of customer discovery and hands-on work in the field have taught us a staged path lands better,” Tatar said. “This is a new application of validated technology aimed at a compound class where requirements are still shifting, and teams want to see it perform on their own samples before they commit. The three steps exist so the customer builds real confidence in what the platform does and does not do for their workflow, while also helping them become comfortable with the prep and screening process. In our experience, that produces a materially more successful, de-risked deployment than one that is simply transactional.”
Step one is a feasibility study that screens the customer’s own samples on the Salvus platform to establish performance on their matrix against paired EPA Method 1633 results. Step two is a field pilot at the customer’s active site where the Salvus team demonstrates real-world performance, walks operators through the sample-to-result process, and validates fit to the operational environment. Step three is full-scale deployment with the workflow configured for the customer’s matrix and the commercial model that fits their operation: purchase, lease, or managed service with the Salvus team running the screening.
Built for customisation
The core of the Salvus technology lies in the Salvus Detection Platform – an interferometric analyzer and cartridge system that can be customized to detect different substances and delivered in different form factors. The Salvus PRISM is the long-term instrument, purchased once, with an integrated touchscreen display. The detection cartridge contains the receptor chemistry for a specific detection target; cartridges can be developed to detect different substances. While current capabilities are for C6 and longer PFAS in a portable form factor, the Salvus team is actively developing capabilities for shorter-chain PFAS (C5, C4) and other analytes of concern. The platform core can also be adapted into different form factors, such as fixed monitoring stations, unmanned vehicles, and third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) platforms.
For customers who want confirmation of a field result, greater analyte resolution, or laboratory analysis on its own, Salvus also operates its own analytical laboratory. It runs EPA Method 1633, EPA Method 537.1, and the total oxidisable precursor (TOP) assay with turnaround as fast as 48 hours from sample receipt. Salvus laboratory analyses are non-certified and are intended for site characterisation, screening confirmation, and treatment monitoring rather than regulatory submittal.
