A SelFrag facility to underpin UK geoscience

SelFrag 设施支持英国地球科学

• 批准号: NE/T00925X/1
• 负责人: Darren Francis Mark
• 金额: $ 38.23万
• 依托单位: Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT00925X%2F1
• 关键词: SelFrag; facility; underpin; UK; geoscience

The UK is at the forefront of geoscience, which includes isotope metrology, micropalaeontology and crystallography. All these techniques rely on the measurements of natural samples (rocks, soils, fossils, minerals, metals, animal matter) from which specific components can be isolated. These components have to be contaminant-free and in some cases, such as microfossil examination, diatom characterisation, and thermal history reconstruction using thermochronology the component parts need to be intact (e.g., complete apatite crystals). The SelFrag system is a laboratory scale solution for selective fragmentation of a wide variety of materials used across the NERC science remit. It is the only extraction system that can liberate such components whole without mechanical breakdown of the materials. The SelFrag uses a high voltage discharge to fragment batches of material and liberate individual components from the whole, whether rock or electronic waste. The SelFrag system is self-contained, compact, and constructed in Switzerland to meet all EU health and safety regulations. The system is ideal for use in geosciences, mining, and recycling research and establishment of this capability in the UK is long overdue. Currently numerous laboratories and investigators throughout the UK access this capability abroad on a pay-as-you-go basis - UK research funding is supporting international operations, which is both a waste of money and turnaround is slow. For researchers without funding to pay for access, this technique is inaccessible and studies have to make do with inferior samples for analysis.Currently SelFrag is not available in the UK and hence establishment of this laboratory will provide a unique analytical resource. SUERC will operate this laboratory in an open access format through the NERC National Environmental Isotope Facility, a cluster of laboratories that provide community provision in isotope geochemistry. By using this delivery model the SelFrag capability will be accessible by all UK investigators that work within the NERC remit. Under the auspices of UK Research and Innovation, the project team will also look to provide provide unique sample preparation solutions to researchers operating within the remit of STFC and EPSRC (e.g., meteorite research, electronics, recycling). Our proposed delivery model will ensure maximum impact from NERC capital investment, the kit underpinning the first steps of many scientific experiments/projects - sample preparation.Scientists and technical staff who are currently employed at SUERC will operate the SelFrag system thereby providing significant added value to NERC and the UK user community. The team that will deliver the capability are experienced in delivering community-based technical facilities and capability - the SelFrag is highly complimentary to the capability offered by NEIF. Community demand has been established through protracted discussion with PIs and the NERC Doctoral training Partnerships and the establishment of a SelFrag laboratory at SUERC has potential to benefit every academic institution within the UK and provide cutting-edge training to PhD students in the environmental sciences. It will allow for UK-based scientists to be competitive internationally with respect to preparation of minerals, rocks, metals, fossils etc. and thus remain at the forefront of their areas of research.

英国处于地球科学的最前沿，其中包括同位素计量学，微孔生物学和晶体学。所有这些技术都依赖于可以分离特定成分的天然样品（岩石，土壤，化石，矿物，金属，动物物质）的测量。这些成分必须无污染物，在某些情况下，例如微化石检查，硅藻表征和热历史使用热量体的重建组件部分需要完整（例如，完整的磷灰石晶体）。 SelfRag系统是一种实验室规模解决方案，用于选择性分散NERC科学函数中多种材料。它是唯一可以在不进行机械材料的机械崩溃的情况下解放此类组件的唯一提取系统。 SelfRag使用高电压放电到材料的碎片批处理，并从整体中解放单个组件，无论是岩石还是电子废物。 SelfRag系统是独立的，紧凑的，并在瑞士建造，以满足所有欧盟健康与安全法规。该系统非常适合在地球科学，采矿和回收研究和在英国建立这种能力的研究。目前，英国各地的众多实验室和调查员都以付费的方式进入国外这一能力 - 英国研究资金正在支持国际运营，这既浪费金钱，又是周转的速度很慢。对于没有资金来支付访问费用的研究人员，该技术是无法访问的，并且必须对劣等样本进行分析的研究。当然，在英国不可用自我rag，因此建立该实验室将提供独特的分析资源。 SUERC将通过NERC国家环境同位素设施以开放访问格式运营该实验室，这是一群提供同位素地球化学社区提供的实验室。通过使用此交付模型，所有在NERC汇款中工作的英国调查人员都可以访问自我rag功能。在英国研究与创新的主持下，项目团队还将寻求为在STFC和EPSRC范围内运营的研究人员提供独特的样品准备解决方案（例如陨石研究，电子，回收）。我们提出的交付模型将确保NERC Capital Investment的最大影响，NERC资本投资是基于许多科学实验/项目的第一步的套件 - 样本准备。Sucientists和技术人员目前在SUERC雇用了SelfRag系统，从而为NERC和英国用户社区提供了显着的附加值。将实现能力的团队在提供基于社区的技术设施和能力方面经验丰富 - 自我rag高度与NEIF提供的能力相称。通过与PIS和NERC博士培训合作伙伴关系的持久讨论建立了社区需求，并且在SUERC建立了SelfRAG实验室，有可能使英国境内的每个学术机构受益，并为环境科学中的博士生提供尖端的培训。这将使英国的科学家在准备矿物，岩石，金属，化石等方面具有国际竞争力，因此仍然是其研究领域的最前沿。