EnvirovisION, a new stable isotope analysis system that will simplify and significantly lower the barrier to entry for dissolved nitrate isotope analysis, will be launched by Elementar UK at the forthcoming 2022 Joint European Stable Isotope Users group Meeting (JESIUM).
In-person and virtual attendees of JESIUM, taking place from October 10th to 14th at the University of East Finland, will be introduced to the benefits and innovative techniques delivered by EnvirovisION, a specially configured stable isotope analyser for the isotopic analysis of atmospheric N2O, CO2, CH4 and dissolved nitrate samples.
EnvirovisION has been optimised to make the isotopic analysis of dissolved nitrate in environmental samples simpler and faster than ever before. It is powerfully effective in identifying the sources, sinks and cycling of nitrogen throughout terrestrial and marine ecosystems and into the atmosphere, delivering important insights into the root of environmental problems such as smog, acidification, eutrophication and climate change.
A key innovation of EnvirovisION is that it has been designed around the titanium (III) sample preparation method, which uses Ti (III) chloride to reduce nitrate to N2O gas. This one-step chemical conversion method allows samples to be prepared within 24 hours, ready for IRMS analysis.
This titanium method was co-developed by Dr Mark Altabet, professor of marine science at the School for Marine Science and Technology of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Dr Leonard Wassenaar, the former laboratory and section head for isotope hydrology at the International Atomic Energy Agency. This approach avoids the need for microbiological sample preparation, which requires the cultivation of special denitrifying bacteria in idealised conditions, or a chemical approach with hazardous reagents. Instead, it utilises reagents that are safe to use, easy to dispose of and readily available.
Attendees of JESIUM 2022 will be able to learn more about EnvirovisION during a talk by Dr Calum Preece, enviromental market manager at Elementar UK, who will be giving a presentation on the benefits of the new system and the titanium (III) method on Tuesday October 11th at 16:15 BST.
Dr Preece said: “We look forward to introducing the EnvirovisION during JESIUM 2022 and engaging with members of the stable isotope and environmental research community on how this system has the potential to make dissolved nitrate isotope analysis easier and more accessible for laboratories than ever before.
“Nitrate pollution is a major problem around the globe. Stable isotope analysis of nitrate and nitrite allows us to separate different sources of nitrate to determine where this pollution might be coming from, helping us to mitigate the worst effects of our inputs into the nitrogen cycle.
“With EnvirovisION and the new titanium (III) method, even novice labs can now perform high-quality isotopic analysis of nitrate with easily obtained reagents and basic laboratory infrastructure. What’s more, thanks to the system’s various tools designed to automate, simplify and improve sample throughput, every lab will be able to generate more data, faster.”
To learn more about the EnvirovisION platform, please visit Elementar UK’s EnvirovisION site and Balancing the Nitrogen Cycle campaign homepage.
