Portable FTIR Enables Field Site Analysis of Samples

A2 Technologies now offers a family of portable handheld FTIR systems that are optimised for geoscience applications including the compositional analysis of rocks, minerals and soils. A2’s Exoscan and FlexScan FTIR systems are battery powered, hand-held FTIR spectrometers that are proven for field applications. For years, use of FTIR spectroscopy has been applied to this area of study but this consisted of bringing samples back to a laboratory for analysis, which is time consuming and inefficient. With these new portable FTIR systems, samples no longer need be transported back to the lab. Using an Exoscan or FlexScan portable FTIR system critical information about a field site can be obtained in real-time allowing the investigator to focus on areas of the site of greatest importance, concurrently reducing the number of less important samples that are measured. Furthermore, this technology can identify minerals and soil components as well as quantify molecular compounds including oil contamination or degree of hydration in soil.

The Exoscan and FlexScan systems offer the ruggedness and spectroscopic performance that are necessary for field-based geoscience applications. Equipped with diffuse reflectance sampling interface, these systems provide detailed molecular analysis of granular soil or rough rock samples. No sample preparation is required. The Exoscan system, with its optional Docking Station, serves as both a powerful benchtop lab system, yet transforms in seconds to an equally powerful field analyser. The lightweight FlexScan is the ideal at-site system for analysing samples over large areas where many measurements are required.

The value to geoscience of field deployable analytical instrumentation like Exoscan and FlexScan is significant.