Founded in 1991, the Associação para a Inovação Tecnológica e Qualidade (AEMITEQ) is a non-profit public utility institution based in Coimbra, Portugal. It operates as a technological interface center supporting both industry and the community in the areas of environment, chemistry, quality, energy, and innovation.
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AEMITEQ specializes in chemical quality control, providing services including analytical testing, pharmaceutical analysis, UV/Visible spectrophotometer calibration, and technical consultancy. The organization is accredited to perform these services according to proprietary methodologies as well as national and international standards.
The laboratory is structured into three core analytical units—chromatography, atomic absorption/emission, and classical chemical analysis—and is complemented by a dedicated UV-Vis calibration lab.
Its scope includes a broad range of techniques, notably ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and liquid and gas chromatography.
The challenge
AEMITEQ encountered significant challenges in maintaining the consistency of its trace metal analyses, especially when using ICP-MS.
Despite sourcing high-purity acids, inconsistencies between acid batches led to unreliable blank values and compliance issues in critical analyses.
The high cost of ultra-pure acids significantly affected the laboratory’s operational expenses, with some acid batches costing as much as €200 to €500 per 500 ml. The combined impact of variable results and high operating costs highlighted the need for a more consistent and cost-effective solution.
Workhorse machine! Extremely easy-to-use equipment. The production of ultra-pure acid is essential for our work in the determination of trace metals in pharma samples.
In general, in our laboratory, production is carried out uninterruptedly throughout the week, which demonstrates the robustness of the equipment. The acid produced complies with all the requirements of the monographs and analysis methodologies used, making it an extremely important part of the quality results reported. Absolutely recommended.
João Gonçalo Lourenço, coordinator at AEMITEQ
Implementing the duoPUR
AEMITEQ began using Milestone’s duoPUR acid purification system in 2021, integrating it into their ICP and ICP-MS laboratory. This implementation addressed the organization's need for a clean chemistry approach capable of supporting both trace metals analysis and the more complex detection of low levels of calcium and magnesium in difficult matrices such as brines.
The system was immediately recognized for its ease of use and seamless integration, functioning on a plug-and-play basis without requiring extensive training for laboratory staff.
The duoPUR quickly became an essential part of the lab’s daily operations, running for 4–5 hours each day to produce ultra-pure nitric acid (HNO3) for trace element analysis. With this addition, the lab consistently produces high-quality, contaminant-free acid at a fraction of the cost previously spent on commercial ultra-pure acids, leading to improved reliability in results and annual savings of approximately €20,000.
The system’s performance was further validated when another laboratory, facing challenges in detecting low-level metals using a different distillation setup, used acid produced by AEMITEQ’s duoPUR and immediately obtained consistent, reliable results, highlighting the superior quality delivered by the duoPUR system.
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Conclusion
The adoption of Milestone’s duoPUR acid purification system has transformed AEMITEQ’s workflow by providing a consistent and reliable source of ultra-pure acid while significantly lowering operational costs.
The team at AEMITEQ highlighted the system’s robust and user-friendly design, which allowed the laboratory to maintain high-quality results without relying on expensive commercial acids.
Image Credit: Milestone™ Srl
Acknowledgments
Produced from materials originally authored by Milestone™ Srl.
About Milestone™ Srl
Milestone was established in 1988 as the first specialized laboratory instrument manufacturer focusing on advanced microwave technology for sample preparation. Today we hold over 50 patents and have over 30,000 global users spanning across government, academic, contract, and manufacturing industries. Milestone’s headquartered is in Italy with offices in the Unites States, China, Japan, and Korea. The R&D and manufacturing sites are in Germany (MLS) and Switzerland (MWS), along with the offices for Austrian, German and Swiss markets. We have grown as advanced microwave technology manufacturer operating worldwide through a network of over 100 exclusive distributors, all providing our customers premium application and service support.
The key to Milestone’s technological leadership lies in bringing together individuals from diverse scientific and engineering disciplines to solve real world problems with innovative microwave instrumentation.
The excellent support of the Application Team through all these years has highly contributed to the success of our laboratory instruments and our company. All our products are manufactured, assembled and checked by Milestone Production Department according to ISO procedures, to ensure they fully satisfy the needs of our customers.
Milestone has UNI EN ISO 9001:2015 certification representing international standards for quality management in TÜV Rheinland - a global, multi-accredited organization accepted by the majority of the world.
Recently, Milestone has also achieved ISO 14001 certification, a regulatory reference that certifies our effective environmental management system. Through a meticulous and comprehensive process, we have worked to identify, manage, monitor and control our environmental challenges, ensuring that we not only meet but exceed industry standards.
Achieving ISO 14001 certification demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental impact and complying with environmental legislation. This accomplishment reflects our ongoing promise to respect the planet for future generations while maintaining the highest standards of operational excellence.
Milestone has been at the vanguard of technology innovation in microwave sample preparation. With 50 patents over 35 years, we have always tried to take the lead in providing enabling technologies to help your lab. Here is our chronology of developments throughout the years, which has allowed today's lab to innovate and be at the forefront of routine and research analysis in several industries.