NORTHERN ANALYTICAL LABORATORY SERVICE The University of Northern British Columbia is home to an extensive suite of analytical science instrumentation that enables a broad spectrum of biological, chemical and physical analyses.
Unique analytical capabilities in Northern BC In the near future, UNBC will be making these services available to the private, public and non-profit sectors to help meet their research, development and quality assurance needs through the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service.
Meeting Academic & Societal Demands UNBC students and researchers have been working with a variety of analytical laboratory equipment for about two decades through the Central Equipment Laboratory (CEL). The UNBC Northern Analytical Laboratory Service has a mission to contribute to the development and application of sound, well-documented science-based knowledge to support faculty research and client based analytical services. The NALS is committed to providing analytical services, the pursuit and advancement of scientific knowledge, and the training of students aimed at creating highly qualified professionals capable of contributing to industry in their future careers.
Thanks to a $1.09 million Western Economic Diversification/UNBC investment, UNBC is purchasing more than 22 new and renewed pieces of highperformance equipment and is expanding analytical services to initiate the UNBC Northern Analytical Laboratory Service (UNBC-NALS). The NALS is committed to offering solutions for community analytical problems. This locally available service will benefit industry, particularly in the water management, mining, forestry and bioenergy sectors, and allow their projects to proceed on time and on budget.
Petroleum polluted soil/water sediments are analyzed by Dr. Quanji Wu, Analytical Support Specialist at the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service using the Gas Chromatograph.
Industry Leadership & Collaboration UNBC is one of the most researchintensive universities in Canada, which has led to world-class leadership in areas such as natural resources and the environment; rural, remote and northern health; and the sustainability of communities. - Western Economic Development With access to some of the top experts and student researchers in northern BC, the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service will build mutually beneficial partnerships with local industries.
Mark Barnes, a Master of Science in Biochemistry student at UNBC, working with a real-time PCR machine for gene expression analysis.
From testing specific project samples, to providing services for an entire industry or sector, the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service will be able to assist external clients in the development of solutions to a variety of analytical problems.
NORTHERN ANALYTICAL LABORATORY SERVICE
Research & Educational Development One of our goals is to make the lab’s services more responsive to the needs of researchers and corporate clients throughout Northern BC. As a state-of-the-art education and research facility, the Nothern Analytical Laboratory Service will develop analytical methodologies at UNBC for both students and
Soil sieving to separate particle size fractions in preparation for mineral analysis.
external clients. The facility’s Analytical Support Specialists regularly participate in research activities to develop and validate new analytical methods. UNBC representatives are available to provide sound advice in the selection of analytical methods for clients in a wide spectrum of industries. In addition to analytical services, the equipment and resources available through the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service will be used for academic and skills training for UNBC students. Training services are also available for clients who may wish to improve the knowledge and skills of their staff in their own labs.
A microwave digestion unit setup training session. The microwave unit is required to prepare soil, plant and sediment samples for metal ion analysis.
Quality & Reliable Analyses The Northern Analytical Laboratory Service will operate a Quality Assurance System in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025-2005 protocols and is in the process of seeking accreditation through SCC, CALA and EWQA for their numerous analytical tests. They also will be participating in a wide range of annual proficiency testing programs to confirm that the analytical systems and methodologies used are accurate and precise.
Allan Esler, Analytical Support Specialist, uses the Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometer to analyze water and soil/sediment extracts for metal ions.
Contact: Dr. Francis Appoh Analytical Chemistry Services Manager (Lab Manager) Office: Phone: Email:
UNBC Room 4-332 250-960-6650 appoh@unbc.ca
EXPANDING ANALYTICAL SERVICES
EQUIPMENT EXPANSION
SOILS/ENVIRONMENT • Total carbon, nitrogen and sulphur analysss • pH (water and/or calcium chloride) analysss • Available phosphorus assessment • Soil conductivity testing • Sulphate-sulphur analysis • Ammonium and nitrate nitrogen analysis • Moisture, loss on ignition (soil organic matter content) analyses • Petroleum hydrocarbons in waste waters, soils, sediments, waste materials assessment • BOD/COD assessment • Percentage sand/silt/clay assessment • Microwave-assisted acid digestion • ICP-MS metal ion scan
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Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS)
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Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP/MS)
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High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)
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Ion Chromatograph (IC)
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Gas-Chromatograph/ Gas-Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC, GC-MS)
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Auto Ion Analysis System
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Combustion Elemental Analyzers (Automatic C, N, S analyzer)
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pH/Ion and Conductivity meters, DO meters and COD meters
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X-Ray Diffractometer
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Laser Particle Size Analyzer
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Bomb Calorimeter
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Capillary Electrophoresis with Genome GeXP for Gene Expression
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Real Time PCR
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Colony Counters
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BOD Incubator
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High-Pressure Microwave Digesters
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Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometer
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TOC Analyzer
PLANT TISSUES/WOOD • Microwave-assisted acid digestion/ICP-MS metal ion scan • Nitrogen, carbon and sulphur assessment • Total non-structural carbohydrates, acid-detergent fibre, wood proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, heating value determination, ash and woodchip characterization • Sulphates in plant tissue assessment WATER • Water quality tests (TSS, VSS, TDS) • Total soluble N and P tests • Total organic carbon test • Anion scans • Cation scans • Conductivity tests MATERIAL SCIENCE • Microstructure and compositional analysis of a wide variety of materials, including minerals and rocks, clays, sand, limestone, gravels, cement, and powders MICROBIOLOGY/MOLECULAR BIOLOGY/GENETICS • Routine microbiological testing • Standard plate count tests • Coliforms/E. coli test • Soil and Water tests • DNA extraction • PCR amplification • DNA sequencing • Fragment analysis • Gene expression
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