Description
The Environmental Biogeochemistry service offers to the users the measurement of carbon and nitrogen contents in solid samples from soils, plants, amendments and soil fractions, the measurement of dissolved carbon in liquid samples and the quantification of CO2 emissions from soils and amendments in field and laboratory conditions.
Furthermore, the service offers the necessary equipment to prepare samples, and the consulting to interpret the data.
The services rely on highly specialized personnel (two researcher and one laboratory technician) with decadal experience and the participation to project and networks at a national and international level.
Services for sample preparation
- Freeze-drying (Telstar LyoQuest Lyophilizer)
- Ball-milling with a 2-positions Retsch MM400 mill using Zirconium balls and cylinders.
- Ball-milling with a 6-positions Retsch MM500 Vario mill using Zirconium balls and cylinders, and Eppendorf adapter
Analytical Services
- Total C and N quantification in solid samples from plants, soils and amendments using an elemental analyzer Thermo Scientific Flash 2000 (Dry Combustion method).
- Organic C quantification with a prior elimination of carbonates from samples in a HCl saturated atmosphere (Harris et al. 2001 method) using an elemental analyzer Thermo Scientific Flash 2000 (Dry Combustion method).
- Analysis of dissolved organic carbon from liquid samples using a Shimadzu TOC-V analyzer.
- Soil organic matter fractionation into particulate and mineral-associated organic matter (Sokol and Bradford 2019 method) and quantification of C and N contents in soil fractions using an elemental analyzer Thermo Scientific Flash 2000 (Dry Combustion method).
- CO2 emissions (respiration from soils, amendments and growing substrates) in field and laboratory condition using an infrared gas analyzer PPsystem IRGA EGM4.