Mary Ellen McNally on Advancing Green Chromatography

At Pittcon 2026, Mary Ellen McNally sat down with LCGC International to discuss green and sustainable chromatographic approaches and sample preparation.

In this interview snippet, McNally discussed why is it important to align laboratory separation techniques to improve overall sustainability in industrial product development.

The desirable goals to achieve a sustainable process are approaches such as supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), low organic solvent liquid chromatography (LC), smaller column dimensions, and solvent‑minimizing sample preparation. These goals align with reductions in hazardous solvent use, energy consumption, and waste generation and improve overall sustainability in industrial product development, both in the agricultural and pharma industries, as well as other regulated industrial product development.

Undoubtably, sample preparation remains the dominant contributor to environmental impact in the analytical lab. Yet, it often receives less attention from a green perspective than chromatography. A few needed developments include robust stationary phases compatible with greener mobile phases in chromatography and for sample preparation improvements a broader use of real‑time monitoring where no sample preparation is required.

McNally is the first female FMC Fellow at the Stine Research Center for FMC Corporation. She has been widely recognized for her contributions to the field separations including gas (GC), liquid (LC) and SFC, and for applications to help solve industrial problems. She has also recently been named a 2026 Outstanding Delaware Woman in STEM by Million Women Mentors Delaware.¹

McNally is also the editor of Sample Preparation Perspectives for LCGC International.² She has received the American Microchemical Society Steyermark Award in the field of microanalysis, the Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley Award for contributions to the field of chromatography, and has been recognized for her contributions to the field of supercritical fluids by the Midwest SFC Discussion and the Tri-State Analytical Supercritical Fluid Discussion Groups.

References

1. LCGC Staff, Mary Ellen McNally Named 2026 Outstanding Delaware Woman in STEM, https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/mary-ellen-mcnally-named-2026-outstanding-delaware-woman-in-stem(accessed 2026-04-10).
2. LCGC International, Sample Preparation Perspectives, https://www.chromatographyonline.com/columns/sample-prep-perspectives (accessed 2026-04-10).