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.
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!
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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.
Filter with high reflectance, low EBC mass
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.
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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.
ICP-MS instrument
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Acid digestion equipment
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