Starting February 2026, the NMR facility has a helium recovery system up and running. It is capable of liquefying up to 20L of liquid helium per day. On average, over 85% of the helium used in the facility is now recovered and recycled.
Why do we recover helium?
Liquid helium is a constantly depleting non-renewable resource, and the ongoing global helium supply disruption has impacted Canadian healthcare, scientific research and industries significantly, including the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) facility at University of Waterloo. The NMR facility requires a large amount of liquid helium to maintain the superconducting magnets. The facility is a core service resource providing routine chemical characterization and advanced analyses to faculties across campus and supporting off-campus research activities from Velocity and the School of Pharmacy.
Establishing a sustainable and reliable supply of helium is a necessity to mitigate the effects of the current helium crisis. The recovery system allows the facility to recycle at least 85% of the helium boil-off from daily operations of the spectrometers, creating a self-sufficient helium supply locally.
The success of this project will further:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage for transportation and fleet vehicle fuel consumption due to the decreased frequency of purchasing from vendors.
- Increase awareness of sustainability within the community since the facility serves research capacities across campus.
- Introducing the project to the facility will strengthen community research partnerships on sustainability.