Analytical equipment and methods

Information on our analytical equipment and methods, including support facilities.

 

Methods

Methods are established for the following analytes:

  • Trace-level Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and Nitrogen (TDN) with Shimadzu TOC-V Analyser
  • Contaminant hydrocarbons, including Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and Diesel Range Organics (DRO) (GC, GC-MS)
  • Lipid biomarkers (GC, GC-MS)
  • Amino acids (HPLC or GC-MS)
  • D/L amino acid ratios (HPLC)
  • Total carbohydrates (colourimetric)
  • Carbohydrate monomers (GC, GC-MS)
  • Lignin phenols (GC, GC-MS)
  • Dissolved gases (GC-TCD)

Equipment

We have a range of equipment available to carry out analyses.  

Our equipment includes:

  • Shimadzu TOC-V (High Temperature Catalytic Oxidation) analyser with TNM module for chemiluminescence detection of Nitrogen
  • Two Agilent 5890 GC systems with autoinjector, split/splitless or on-column injection with Flame Ionisation Detectors (FID)
  • One gradient Agilent 1100 series HPLC system with autoinjector and fluorescence detector.
  • An Agilent 5890 GC system with Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD).
  • A GC-MS system (Agilent 6890 GC, 5973 MSD) with autoinjector, split/splitless or on-column injection, Electron Impact (EI) or Chemical Ionisation ( PCI or NCI ) capability and spectral libraries.
  • Data processing with Agilent Chemstation for MSD.

Support equipment

In addition to the main instruments in the facility we have supporting equipment available.

  • Fume cupboards
  • Microbalance
  • Freeze drier
  • Autoclave 
  • Muffle furnace
  • Low-temperature freezer
  • Refrigerated centrifuges
  • Organic-clean ultrapure water
  • Soxhlet and ultrasonic equipment for lipid and hydrocarbon extractions
  • Column chromatography for lipid class separation
  • Centrifugal and rotary evaporation systems
  • Networked chromatographic data processing software

 

 

 

 

 

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