Analytical services

Global Water Futures Observatories (Waterloo) offers a suite of analytical services, both standardized and specialized, in our 5 major GWFO Waterloo laboratories. The 5 major laboratories are: Aqueous Analysis, Ecotoxicology, Microplastics, Multiscale Environmental Particle Analysis, and Nanobiosensors. Expand the grey bars below to find more information about the specific services offered by each of the 5 laboratories.

A quick summary of the analyses offered by the 5 laboratories

  • Aqueous Analysis offers standard analyses for nutrients, carbon species, major elements, anions (including organic acids), and some specialized analyses (e.g., trace metals, some isotopes).
  • Microplastics Analysis offers the specialized extraction and analysis, using laser-directed infrared spectroscopy, including polymer identification and particle counting and sizing, of microplastics in water and sediment samples.
  • Multiscale Environmental Particle Analysis (MEPAL) offers a range of specialized analytical capabilities to characterize soil, sediment, biota and aerosol properties, and to identify and monitor organic contaminant degradation processes, including elemental analysis (CHNS), zeta potential analysis.
  • Ecotoxicology offers specialized analyses for DNA quantification of targeted gene sequences (via PCR and qPCR), total estrogenecity, and trace chemicals. As part of their ability to measure gene sequences, they offer wastewater-based surveillance for viruses such as COVID-19.
  • Nanobiosensors offers the specialized custom selection of targeted DNA aptamers for detecting contaminants and other compounds in water samples.

Please see Our policies and FAQs page for more details on our analytical services policies and how we set our pricing. 

Aqueous Analysis Laboratory services and fees

Sample volume required

Equipment

Fee per sample

1. Inorganic elements 

10+ mL filtered (≤ 0.45 µm) sample)

Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) (Thermo Scientific iCAP 6300)

$65

2. Trace elements

10 mL filtered (≤ 0.45 µm) sample)

Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) (Thermo Scientific iCAP 6300)

$65
3. Inorganic anions  3+ mL filtered ( 0.22 µm) sample Capillary Ion Chromatograph system (Dionex ICS-5000 with auto sampler) $40
4. Organic acids 3+ mL filtered ( 0.22 µm) sample Capillary Ion Chromatograph system (Dionex ICS-5000 with auto sampler) $40
5. Glucose 3 mL Gallery™ Discrete Analyzer (Thermo Scientific) $40

6. Dissolved ammonium (NH4+)

3 mL

Gallery™ Discrete Analyzer (Thermo Scientific)

$30

7. Dissolved orthophosphate

3 mL

Gallery™ Discrete Analyzer (Thermo Scientific)

$40

8. Dissolved iron(II)

3 mL, preserved in acid

Gallery™ Discrete Analyzer (Thermo Scientific)

$40

9. Dissolved organic carbon and total dissolved nitrogen

7+ mL filtered (≤0.45 µm) sample

Total Organic C, Total N Analyzer (Shimadzu TOC-LCPH/CPN with auto injector)

$40

10. Dissolved inorganic carbon

7+ mL filtered (≤0.45 µm) sample

Total Organic C, Total N Analyzer (Shimadzu TOC-LCPH/CPN with auto injector)

$40

11. Greenhouse and standard gases

10+ mL gas sample stored in gas-tight container (e.g., Exetainer vial)

Gas Chromatograph (Shimadzu)

$65

12. Stable water isotopes (O, D/H)

5+ mL filtered (≤0.45 µm) water sample stored full in closed container

Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (Picarro L2130-i Water Isotope Analyzer and Gas Concentration Analyzer))

$40

13. Stable carbon isotopes

20+ mL gas sample stored in gas-tight container (e.g., Exetainer vial)

Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (Picarro G2201-i Carbon-13 CH4/CO2 Isotopic  Analyzer)

$50

14. Trace analysis (voltammetry)

TBD

Voltammeter (Metrohm 797 VA Computrace voltammeter with autosampler)

TBD

15. Chlorophyll-a

500+ mL unfiltered water

Fluorometer with chlorophyll-a module (Turner Designs)

$10

Ecotoxicology Laboratory services and fees
Service Equipment/description Fee
Trace chemical analysis LC-MS/MS analysis with Agilent 1260 LC with Agilent 6460 Triple Quad MS $1200
Effects directed analysis (EDA) LC analysis with Agilent 1260 LC with UV detector and fraction collector $500
Total estrogenicity Yeast estrogen screen assay $500
Wastewater-based surveillance Collection, extraction and analysis using QIAcube Connect, NIMBUS liquid handler and Bio-Rad CFX- OPUS Realtime qPCR $800
qPCR based barcoding Extraction and analysis using QIAcube Connect  and Bio-Rad CFX- OPUS Realtime PCR (x2) $800
Absolute DNA/RNA quantification Quantification using Qiagen Digital PCR $800
Multimode plate reader Detection using Molecular Devices M3 spectrophotometer plate reader $100
Cell culture imaging Multimode detection using BioTek Cytation 5 plate reader $300
Scintillation counting Analysis using Perkin Elmer 3110 Tricarb liquid scintillation counter $50
Aquatic habitats (AHAB) Flow through system for holding small bodied fish $200/day
Fish exposure system Chilled fish exposure system for static and flow through exposures of small-bodied fish to a variety of contaminants. $200/day

Microplastics Analysis Laboratory services and fees
Service

Equipment

 Fee per sample
Microplastics separation from environmental matrix Standard operating protocol in dedicated lab $500
Microplastics characterization (polymer identification, particle size and shape)

Laser direct infrared spectrometer (Agilent 8700 LDIR chemical imaging system)

 $500

Multiscale Environmental Particle Analysis Laboratory (MEPAL) services and fees

Service

Equipment

Fee

1. Microcalorimetry

Isothermal Microcalorimeter (TAM Air)

$250 per day

2. Solid-phase elemental analysis (C, N, H)

Elementar vario EL cube

$60 per sample and per element

3. X-ray diffraction

PANanalytical Empyrean II

$250 per sample

4. Electron microscopy

Table-top scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) (Hitachi scanning electron microscope TM-3000 with Bruker QUANTAX 70 Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer)

$110 per sample

5 . Particle sizing

Malvern Zetasizer Lab (Red)

$85 per sample
6. Zeta potential Malvern Zetasizer Lab (Red) $85 per sample

7. Gentle sample grinding

Micronising Grinding Mill

$110 per day

8. Freeze drying

Freeze dryer (Labconco FreeZone Freeze Dry System 7753020)

$85 per day

9. Microwave digestion

Microwave digester (Anton Paar Multiwave 3000)

$150 per batch (max 16 samples)

Nanobiosensors Laboratory: Aptamer SELEX

Aptamer SELEX: selection of DNA aptamers for binding to a specific target.

Fee: $20,000