AnalyticalCapabilities

  Information management system for LRAE (Laboratory for RadioAnalysis and Environment)

  Analytical Capabilities

Type

Analysis Method

Tracers

Equipment

Application

Photo

Chemical Tracers

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC): This technique allows separating, identifying, and quantifying each chemical element present in water sample.

Major elements Na+, K+, Mg2+,Cl-,NO3-, SO42-)

• - HPLC Beckman

• -HPLC Metrohm

• -2 HPLC water

Water chemical quality (Salinity, hardness, Contaminations

Chemical tracers

Atomic Absorption spectrometry AAS: Equipped by flame and graphite furnaces, this instrument allows measuring the concentration of trace element and ultra trace element contained in water samples.

Traces elements

Atomic Absorption spectrometry of Perkin-Elmer

Water quality, contamination by heavy metals…

Environmental isotopes

Liquid Water Isotope Analyzer LGR DLT 100: It provides measurements of δ18O, and δ2H in water samples. Equipped by an auto sampler this method is easy to manipulate and produce accurate values with an incertitude of 0.2‰ and 1‰ for δ18O and δ2H respectively.

Stable Isotpes of water molecule:δ18O/δ2H

Liquid Water Isotope Analyzer LGR DLT 100

Isotope hydrology: Water origin, mixture …

Environmental isotopes

Using electrolytic enrichment and liquid scintillation Counter: It is doing in four steps:

• Primary distillation

• Electrolytic enrichment

• Final distillation

• Liquid Scintillation Counting

Tritium

Distillations sets and electrolytic enrichment system

Isotope hydrology: dating recent groundwater systems

Environmental isotopes

Picarro δ13C-CO2 analyzer coupled with an Automate FX sample preparation device: the system provides δ13C measurements of the dissolved inorganic carbon in water samples or δ13C in solid carbonate samples. The Automate FX adds phosphoric acid to the samples to liberate CO2, which flows to the Picarro for δ13C-CO2 analysis.

Carbone-13

Picarro δ13C-CO2 analyzer coupled with an Automate FX sample preparation device

• Origin of CITD in water samples

• Correction 14C models

Environmental isotopes

14C dating line through benzene synthesis and liquid Scintillation counter: It requires four steps:
Stage 1: The carbon is first oxidised to CO2, either by acid hydrolysis (for carbonates)
Stage 2:Carburation at 650°C → obtaining of Li2C2
Stage 3: Hydrolyse → production of acetylene
Stage 4: Trimerised of acetylene → synthesis of benzene

Carbone-14

Dating old groundwater

14C dating line through benzene synthesis and liquid Scintillation counter

Environmental isotopes

Alpha spectrometer : it measures the natural alpha radioactivity (uranium disequilibrium) in water samples after chemical preparation

U/Th isotopes

Alpha spectrometer

Measuring natural radioactivity in water samples