Clean Room/Analytical Laboratory
The Clean Room/Analyical Laboratory is a Class 10,000 clean room for the purpose of trace element analyses. Sample preparation areas are protected by HEPA-filtered laminar flow systems, providing Class 100 conditions to minimize contamination when handling and preparing samples. Multiple high-performance analytical instruments for analysis of trace elements, trace element speciation, non-traditional stable isotope ratios and trace emerging contaminants. Instruments housed within the clean room include: an inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and a quadrupole ICP mass spectrometer (Q-ICP-MS) for quantification of dissolved constituents; a high-resolution ICP-MS (HR-ICP-MS) for trace metal analyses; a multi-collector ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS) for non-traditional stable isotope analysis; a high-performance liquid chromatography - liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (HPLC-LCMS) for perchlorate analysis; an ion chromatography system (IC) for metalloid speciation (arsenic and selenium); a total mercury analyzer; and a laser ablation system.
Contaminant Hydrogeology Research Laboratory
The Contaminant Hydrogeology Research Laboratory is a fully serviced research laboratory utilized for advancing understanding of the fate, transport and remediation of inorganic and organic contaminants in groundwater. This research includes detailed laboratory studies to predict the complex geochemical behavior of these systems and development of remediation methods.
Field Research Laboratory
The Field Research Laboratory serves as the GGR Group’s field-sample processing location. Our investigations include inorganic and organic samples of various scales such as water samples, cores, sediments, sludges, and various rock and mineral samples that may range from individual minerals to a tonne of rock. At this location and the adjacent loading dock, we can receive all samples and process them without introducing contaminants into the analytical laboratories. Additionally, within this laboratory we have the capability to perform pre-analytical processing such as aqueous field measurements, milling and pressing for x-ray fluorescence/diffraction, or soil water removal from cores along with experimental areas to conduct weathering experiments in cold and ambient temperatures.
Geochemistry Research Laboratory
The Geochemistry Research Laboratory is fully serviced for conducting geochemical analyses and experiments. The goal of the experiments is to improve our understanding of mechanisms controlling the fate of contaminants in groundwater, surface water, and soils.
Geomicrobiology Laboratory
The Geomicrobiology Laboratory is a fully serviced research laboratory for studying the role of microbes in various geochemical processes at scales spanning the nano, meso and meter scale. The laboratory’s research interests range from field-scale research to fundamental investigations of molecular-scale microbial-metal-mineral redox interactions. Understanding these interactions helps predict contaminant mobility in the environment.
Groundwater Remediation Laboratory
The Groundwater Remediation Laboratory is used for treatability tests to evaluate the removal of dissolved metals and metalloids in groundwater from mining, industrial and municipal sites.