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.
Standard Charges for Water, Soil, and Tissue Analysis
Price valid 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2028
| Water | Short Description | Unit Base | Internal | External |
| Filtered Nutrient - Ammonia/Ammonium (no neutralization) | NH3/NH4 † | per sample | $12.00 | $18.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Ammonia/Ammonium (with neutralization) | NH3/NH4 (+ neutralization) † | per sample | $16.00 | $23.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Nitrite | NO2 † | per sample | $12.00 | $18.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Nitrite (48-h analysis request) | NO2 (48h) † | per sample | $15.00 | $22.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Nitrate as N+N (NOx) | N+N (NOx) † | per sample | $15.00 | $22.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (Orthophosphate) | SRP (PO4) † | per sample | $12.00 | $18.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (Orthophosphate) (48-h analysis request) | SRP (PO4) (48h) † | per sample | $15.00 | $22.00 |
| Filtered Nutrient - Full set from a single bottle1 | FN (full set, single bottle) † | per sample | $32.00 | $47.00 |
| Total or Dissolved Phosphorus - Acid Digestion | TP / TDP † | per sample | $24.00 | $36.00 |
| Total or Dissolved Phosphorus - Persulfate Digestion | TP-P / TDP-P † | per sample | $21.00 | $31.00 |
| Total or Dissolved Phosphorus - ICP Analysis (Salinity ≤ 2 ppt)2 | TP-ICP / TDP-ICP | per sample | $30.00 | $44.00 |
| Total Nitrogen or Dissolved Nitrogen | TN / TDN † | per sample | $18.00 | $27.00 |
| Total Organic Carbon or Total Carbon or Dissolved Organic Carbon | TOC / TC / DOC † | per sample | $20.00 | $29.00 |
| Total or Dissolved Silicate | Si / SiO2 † | per sample | $18.00 | $27.00 |
| Chlorophyll a - Filtered, Analysis only | Chl-a † | per sample | $12.00 | $18.00 |
| Cation or Anion Analysis - Ion Chromatography3 | IC - Cat / IC - Anion | per sample | $29.00 | $43.00 |
| Soil or Tissue | Short Description | Unit Base | Internal | External |
| Total Phosphorus (soil, sediment, tissue) | TP-S † | per sample | $26.00 | $39.00 |
| Total Carbon and Nitrogen (soil, sediment, tissue) - Pre-weighed, Analysis only | TC/TN | per sample | $10.00 | $15.00 |
| Trace Metal Analysis | Short Description | Unit Base | Internal | External |
| Trace Metal - Freshwater (20 elements full set or partial set, Salinity ≤ 2 ppt) | TM - FW - 20 elements | per sample | $40.00 | $59.00 |
| Trace Metal - Brackish and Saltwater (20 elements full set or partial set, Salinity > 2 ppt) | TM - SW - 20 elements | per sample | $45.00 | $66.00 |
| Trace Metal - Surface Water (customized set up to 10 elements) | TM - W - customized | per sample | $60.00 | $88.00 |
| Trace Metal - Sediments/Soils/High Turbidity Samples with Digestion (16 elements, no Al & Fe) | TM - S - 16 elements | per sample | $64.00 | $95.00 |
| Trace Metal - Sediments/Soils/High Turbidity Samples with Digestion (Al & Fe)4 | TM - S - Al & Fe | per sample | $20.00 | $30.00 |
| Trace Metal - Biological Samples with Special Requirement (16 elements) | TM - B - 16 elements | per sample | $80.00 | $118.00 |
| Tracers - Surface or Ground Water (6 elements full set or partial set) | Tracer - W - 6 elements | per sample | $45.00 | $66.00 |
| Tracers - Surface or Ground Water (Customized set up to 6 elements) | Tracer - W - customized | per sample | $55.00 | $81.00 |
| Services | Unit Base | Internal | External |
| Additional sample preparation or request (i.e. pH adjustments, filtration, dry, weigh, etc.) | per procedure | $5.00 | $8.00 |
| Customized EDD (Additional requirements such as providing QC, instrument output, etc.) | per data entry | $3.00 | $5.00 |
| Customized Data Reduction (Additional Validation, Calculation, Interpretation, etc.) | per hour | $140.00 | $207.00 |
| Instrument Access (12 hours maximal) | per day | $325.00 | $479.00 |
| Method Setup and Development | per hour | $203.00 | $299.00 |
• † = NELAC Certified Analysis, Certificate# E76930-16
• All submissions require a chain of custody form with account # to be charged and barcode label for LIMS tracking.
• Sample containers must comply with laboratory requirements (SOP-002) and be supplied by investigator.
1. Single frozen or acid-preserved sample. For acid-preserved samples, neutralization of Ammonium/Ammonia will be charged separately. For single non-preserved samples requiring 48-h analysis of all FN, 48-h expedited analysis will be charged to "Additional sample preparation or request."
2. For TP-ICP analysis, additional sample preparation (dilution) will be charged for samples with salinity > 2 ppt.
3. Based on a minimum sample quantity of 50, and client provides instrument parts, including column, guard column, and suppressor. For sample quantity over 400 within 1 year, CAChE-NACF will supply the instrument parts. For sample quantity between 50-400, please email.
4. Add-on to "Trace Metal - Sediments/Soils/High Turbidity Samples with Digestion (16 elements, no Al & Fe)."
The CAChE-NACF Laboratory's personnel, procedures, equipment, facilities, and quality system are in compliance with the requirements of FAC Rule 64E-1 and the 2016 NELAC Standard.
The student teaching/development branch of the CAChE Lab allows students and post-doctoral associates to get hands-on experience using traditional chemical analysis, and provides a space for them to work with advanced instruments as well as introduce new techniques to support their own research.
