SOFIE® is used in many types of studies (check also the Download section):
SOFIE® has at least eight major advantages over existing methods:
Aquatic sediments may absorb or release contaminants from/to surface waters and ground water. The rate and amount of which this occurs is generally difficult to determine. Redox processes (oxidation and reduction) dictate the fate of many compounds to a large extent. These cells provide the means to measure redox-discrete processes.
Toxicity of contaminants to aquatic organisms is related to the in-situ chemical speciation. Free ion concentrations can be measured in pore water of the sediment and in the overlying surface water. Toxicity tests can be performed in combination with flow-through cells in which populations of e.g., Daphnids can be contained.
Bioaccumulation studies with Tubifex (left) and Chironimus (right) show that uptake is primarily via the free dissolved phase
See also: www.pnec-pro.com
Redox gradients occur over short distances.
This affect the bioavailability of compounds.