The environment is not homogenous, with the presence of different varieties of pollutants in it. Determination of such pollutants is critical to protect the environment. Environmental pollution is mainly caused due to industrialization and lack of clean-up and waste disposal. With 0.1% of produced petroleum released into the environment, there is a high probability of contamination. There are several analytical instruments such as mass spectrometers, gas chromatographs, liquid chromatographs, ion chromatographs, infrared spectrometers, near-infrared spectrometers, atomic absorption spectrometers, atomic emission spectrometers, and surface analysis spectrometers. All these instruments have unique qualities to determine the pollutants.
Drivers and Restraints
Pollutants present in several areas actually paved the way for the establishment of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970. Since then, several standards and regulatory acts have been created for the protection of the environment. Environmental analysis provides several benefits such as reduction in project delays, increased government accountability, and avoidance of environmental adverse effects.
On one hand, the key drivers bolstering market growth include:
- Regulatory trends and Standardization
- Quality Assurance
- Automation of Test Activities
While on the other hand, the market restraints include:
- Lack of Knowledge
- Capital Expenditure (CAPEX)
Market Trends
Various types of pollutants exist in the environment and the process of collecting as well as methodology of analysis for each sample is different. Proper care is to be taken during collection of samples and transportation to lab for analysis. Safety precautions need to be taken to protect the environment and the living society underneath. Personal protective equipment (PPE) must also be used to safeguard anyone using the equipment.
While there are several methods to analyze the environmental compounds, GC-MS is one of the best methods to analyze a mixture of compounds. In addition, several other combination products are in use today including high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC–TOF–MS), two-dimensional GC (GC×GC), GC×GC–MS, and several more. Application of standards is the key for environmental analysis. Several standards have been developed by the US environmental protection agency (EPA), the Environment Agency (EA) in the United Kingdom, Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012(CEAA2012), Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in India, and other agencies for the protection of the environment.
From a quality control perspective, precision, accuracy, representativeness and completeness form the key parameters for a successful product. Automated sample preparation, need for more rapid results, and increasing knowledge among end users are expected to boost growth in environmental testing.
Frost & Sullivan, a global research and growth consulting company, also covers various trends in the analytical instrumentation market. We will be publishing the research on global analytical instrumentation market in Environmental testing in May 2016. We have also published several research studies in areas of global laboratory analytical instrumentation market, global process analytical instrumentation market, global analytical X-ray instrumentation market, global analytical instrumentation market in food testing, global analysis of the oil and gas analytical instrumentation market, and global water analysis instrumentation market.
