Equipment and Services

The University of Northern British Columbia is home to an extensive suite of analytical science instrumentation that enables a broad spectrum of chemical, physical, and biological analyses. UNBC has made these services available to researchers as well as private, public, and non-profit sectors to help meet their research, development, and quality assurance needs through the Northern Analytical Laboratory Service (NALS).
Lab Equipment
- Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS)
- Inductively coupled plasma- optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES)
- Microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (MP-AES)
- Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS)
- Scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS)
- High-performance liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS)
- Ion chromatograph (IC)
- Gas chromatograph (GC/FID)
- Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS)
- Isotopic ratio mass spectrometer (IR-MS)
- Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR)
- X-ray diffractometer (XRD)
- X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
- BET Surface Area Testing
- Laser particle size analyzer
- Combustion elemental analyzers (EA) (C, N, S)
- Total organic / total inorganic analyzer (TOC/TIC)
- Auto ion analysis system
- High-pressure microwave digester/ block digester
- CO2 incubator / high and low temperature incubators
- pH, conductivity, turbidity, DO and COD meters
- Colony counters and optical microscopes
- Freeze dryer
- Thermogravimetric Analysis instrument (TGA)
Environmental Samples (Soil, Water, Air)
- Elemental analysis / trace elements
- Persistent organic pollutants
- Volatile organic compounds
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- Micro and macro nutrients
- Isotope ratioanalysis:
- 13C/12C, 15N/14N, and 18O/16O, 34S/32S
- Total carbon, nitrogen and sulphur
- Available phosphorus assessment
- Sulphate-sulphur analysis
- Ammonium and nitrate (nitrogen)
- Cation exchange capacity (CEC)
- Water holding capacity (WHC)
- Moisture, loss on ignition (soil organic matter content) analyses
- Petroleum hydrocarbons in waste waters, soils and sediments
- BOD/COD assessment
- Percentage sand/silt/clay
- Microwave-assisted acid digestion
- pH and soil conductivity
Water Testing
- Water quality tests (TSS, VSS, TDS)
- Total soluble N and P
- Total organic and inorganic carbon ( TOC / TIC )
- Anion scans
- Elemental analysis ( cations and trace elements)
- pH, turbidity and conductivity
- E. coli and total coliform
Material Science
- Elemental analysis / chemical composition
- BET Surface Area Testing
- Particle size distribution of powered and suspended materials
- Microstructure and compositional analysis of materials, including minerals and rocks, clays, sand, limestone, gravel, cement by XRD
- Morphology and composition by SEM-EDS
- Bulk density
- Melting point
- Heating value determination
Plant Tissues / Wood
- Micro and macro nutrients
- Elemental analysis
- Scanning electron microscopy
- Isotope ratio analysis: 13C/12C, 15N/14N, and 18O/16O
- N/C/S analysis
- Wood proximate analysis, heating value determination
- Ash and woodchip characterization
- Sulphates in plant tissue
- Moisture content
To book a service and discuss your testing project: please call 250-960-5713 or e-mail nals@unbc.ca
Download NALS brochure for more information: The NALS Handbook
Download Sample Submission forms (fillable PDF): nals_analysisrequestform_frm_20210610_rev1_3.pdf Additional Sample submission form
Researchers at UNBC and other academic institutions are required to download and sign NALS users' agreement form: NALS User Agreement form (for all academic users)