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Lab Equipment

Cleanroom Technology (part of Dalhousie's HERC Lab)

This area is kept free of dust and debris.  Filters are weighed in triplicate  using a sensitive microbalance and anti-static blower. Relative Humidity is maintained between 30% and 40% and temperatures are kept between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
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Outsider view of clean room looking in
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Sartorius Ultra-Fine Balance is accurate to ± 0.1 μg, sensitive to the equivalent mass of a single dot of ink!

Effective Black Carbon (part of Dalhousie's HERC Lab)

Effective Black Carbon (EBC) is measured via reflectance, using a Diffusion Systems Smoke Stain Reflectometer (SSR). Total EBC is logarithmically dependent on reflectance R. We quantify absolute EBC using a conversion constant.
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Filter with high reflectance, low EBC mass
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Filter with low reflectance, high EBC mass
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Ion Chromatography (part of Dalhousie's AFRG Lab)

We measure both anions (NO3-, SO42-, Cl-) and cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Na+, NH4+) at concentrations from 0.01 to > 10 μg m-3. Sulfate is a particularly hazardous chemical to breathe, and may be found in large quantities (15-25%) within PM2.5
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Dissolved anions and cations are analyzed separately by two different column separators.

Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (at Dalhousie's Water Studies Lab) 

Once filter-captured elements are extracted by HNO3 acid digestion, we measure trace metals via ICP-MS. Metals of particular interest include dust and natural-based elements (Na, Mg, Mn, Al, Ti, Ba) and anthropogenic elements (K, V, Cr, Fe, Zn, As, Ni, and Pb). Concentrations range from 0.1 to 1000 ng m-3.
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ICP-MS instrument
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Acid digestion equipment
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  • Home
  • Philosophy
  • Instruments
    • Sampling Equipment
    • Lab Equipment
  • Sampling Sites
    • South Asia >
      • Kanpur
      • Dhaka
    • Southeast/East Asia >
      • Bandung
      • Beijing
      • Hanoi
      • Manila
      • Singapore
    • Middle East >
      • Rehovot
      • Abu Dhabi
    • Africa >
      • Ilorin
      • Pretoria
    • South America >
      • Palmira
      • Buenos Aires
    • North America >
      • Atlanta
      • Bondville
      • Halifax
      • Kelowna
      • Lethbridge
      • Mammoth Cave
      • Sherbrooke
      • Toronto
  • Data & Reports
    • All Sites
    • Citation policy
    • Interactive Plots
    • Composition Plot
    • Meetings & Outreach
    • Protocols
    • Publications
  • People
    • Air Quality Analysts
    • Dal Researchers
    • Network Organizers
    • Contact Us
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