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CAChE Nutrient Analysis Core Facility

The CAChE Nutrient Analysis Core Facility represents three distinct services and opportunities through its related but distinct spaces at Florida International University; first, it serves as a NELAC-accredited nutrient analysis laboratory to directly support research; second, it contains a dedicated student area for education and training related to traditional water quality analyses; and finally, it provides a space where students and faculty can work to improve or innovate technologies, and develop alternative or novel techniques, including the use of liquid, gas and ion Chromatography.

The recharge facility of the CAChE Nutrient Analysis Core Facility, or “Core Lab,” provides NELAC-certified (E76930) analyses of dissolved nutrients (N+N, NO2, NH3/NH4, SRP), total phosphorus (TP), total silica (Si), total nitrogen (TN), total and dissolved organic carbon (TOC/DOC), and chlorophyll-a in fresh/salt waters, as well as total phosphorus (TP) in solids and tissue samples. The facility also provides non-certified analyses, including trace metals in water samples and soil/sediment samples, inorganic tracers in water samples, total nitrogen and carbon (TN/TC) in solid samples, cations and anions in water samples, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, turbidity, etc.

The facility currently serves FIU faculty, researchers from other universities, non-profit organizations, private consulting companies, and federal and state agencies, such as Monroe County, Broward County, SFWMD, FDEPA, USEPA, etc. It’s primary equipment includes: multiple spectrophotometers for dissolved and total nutrients, multiple TN analyzers and TOC/DOC analyzers, spectrofluorometers and UV-Vis spectrophotometer for Chlorophyll-a analysis, Elemental Analyzer for TN/TC, Thermo Scientific iCAP-TQ for trace metal and inorganic tracer analyses, as well as ultratrace level phosphorus (P) analysis.

The SERC Laboratory's personnel, procedures, equipment, facilities, and quality system are in compliance with the requirements of FAC Rule 64E-1 and the 2016 NELAC Standards.

Examples of equipment and capabilities are shown below:
  • IC to detect anions and cations in surface waters and wastewaters
  • Nanodrop Scanning Spectrofluorometer for the measurement of fluorescent organic matter (FOM), algal pigments and environmental tracers.
  • UV-Vis spectrophotometer for colorimetric water quality and measurements of optical properties for natural waters.