System and method for sequestering substances in bulk liquids

A method for sequestering a target analyte believed to be present in a bulk liquid specimen, said method comprising the steps:

• a. providing a bulk specimen reservoir defining an interior for receiving said bulk liquid specimen and depositing said bulk liquid specimen within said interior of said bulk specimen reservoir;
• b. contacting said bulk liquid specimen with a plurality of paramagnetic particles operative to selectively bind with said target analyte of interest to the extent said analyte of interest is present;
• c. providing a vertex having an internal volume, said vertex being detachably interconnectable with said bulk specimen reservoir containing said bulk liquid specimen and said paramagnetic particles in step b) such that said bulk liquid specimen with paramagnetic particles and any analytes of interest bound thereto is operative to flow and circulate within the interior of said at least one vertex;
• d. providing a magnetic capsule detachably interconnectable with said vertex when said vertex is interconnected to said bulk specimen reservoir in step c), said magnetic capsule being interconnected to said vertex so as to project a magnetic field within the interior of said vertex;
• e. sufficiently circulating said bulk liquid specimen with said paramagnetic particles and any analytes of interest bound thereto within the interior of said vertex while said magnetic capsule is coupled therewith for a duration sufficient to retain a majority of said paramagnetic particles within the interior of said vertex;
• f. detaching said vertex from said bulk specimen reservoir following step e);
• g. disengaging said magnetic capsule from said vertex detached in step f);
• and
• h. analyzing said paramagnetic particles retained within said vertex to determine the presence of said target analytes of interest.