Environmental and energy laboratories

Facilities

The wet chemistry laboratory area comprises a large practical laboratory, four research laboratories, two temperature-controlled rooms, a utility room and various storage rooms. The practical laboratory is approved for 25 students and is equipped with 13 fume cupboards. The four research laboratories contain laboratory equipment used for various analyses, including those of environmental samples:

• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) for the analysis of various substances in environmental samples, e.g. PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), carboxylic acids and others
• Thermogravimetric analysis with differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC), analysis of various biomass materials or types of plastic
• TOC-L for the determination of total carbon (TC), inorganic carbon (IC) and organic carbon (TOC), as well as total nitrogen (TN) in aqueous samples
• Atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) for the determination of various elements or heavy metals, e.g. in soil samples
• Microwave digestion, for the digestion of various materials, e.g. soil or plants
• Karl Fischer titration apparatus: analysis of water content in liquids or solids
• Luminescence multi-plate reader
• Real-time biotoxicity monitoring system, which can be used to detect low levels of water pollution using a bioassay
• PCR (polymerase chain reaction), gel electrophoresis and gel scanner
   

The laboratories are well-equipped with glassware and laboratory stands, as well as other laboratory equipment such as an autoclave, fume cupboards, incubators, two small stirred reactors and a 5-litre bioreactor, a laboratory dishwasher, a pH meter, ion-selective electrodes (ISE), magnetic stirrers, test tube shakers, centrifuges, a handheld spectroscope, an ultrasonic bath, a water bath, a muffle furnace, a rotary evaporator, a ball mill, microscopes, stereo microscopes and various balances.

Electrochemistry

• A fuel cell and a solar cell test bench
• Potentiometer
• rotating disc electrode including dual potentiostats
• Two potentiostats for CV measurement

• Impedance spectrometer with external potentiostats for determining battery charge and discharge cycles

   

Environmental monitoring

• Particle sampler for collecting fine dust in ambient air
• Fenced-off open area