Urgent replacement of ICP-OES system for multi-element determination in water samples

淡水资源对加拿大人具有巨大的社会、环境和经济价值，但由于人类活动和气候引起的压力不断增加，许多溪流、河流和湖泊的水质继续恶化。创新废水和雨水处理新技术并使之商业化，以及制定减少自然沃茨污染的方法，对于保护加拿大的淡水资源和支持加强我国经济的举措至关重要。对于水处理技术和补救办法的前沿研究而言，必须有一种方法，对大量的水和固体样品进行快速、具有成本效益的多种元素分析，包括有毒金属和有害营养素。该提案寻求资金，用于紧急更换电感耦合等离子体-光发射分光光度计系统，这是满足这一关键需求的唯一类型的元素分析仪器。我们以前的ICP-OES系统在大量使用15年后达到了寿命终点并失败了，它是西部水中心领导的变革性研究计划的关键工具和主力，包括申请人的研究计划。ICP-OES是测定样品中多元素浓度的最有效方法，因为它快速且具有成本效益，并且对于HQP来说足够稳健，可以在系统上进行培训并独立运行样品分析。西区（或周边地区）没有其他ICP-OES或类似的元素分析仪器可供申请人使用，这些仪器是可用的、具有成本效益的，并且具有合理的（<6周）样品周转时间。申请人的研究项目正在推进具有强大商业化和衍生潜力的水处理技术，但自从我们以前的ICP-OES系统失败以来，这些项目已经停滞。如果不使用ICP-OES系统，目前无法实现我们现有计划的成果。我们以前的ICP-OES系统的故障也严重影响了20多名HQP的当前培训和项目成果。根据我们以前的经验，预计在未来5年内，将有60多名HQP接受所要求的替代系统培训，并获得对职业发展非常有价值的技术和实践技能。所要求的ICP-OES系统对于支持领先的研究计划至关重要，这些研究计划将通过新水处理技术的测试和商业化为加拿大带来巨大利益，并直接为政府保护和修复淡水资源的政策提供信息。

Freshwater resources are of immense societal, environmental and economic value for Canadians, yet the water quality in many streams, rivers and lakes continues to deteriorate due to human activities and increasing climate-induced pressures. Innovating and commercializing novel wastewater and stormwater treatment technologies as well as developing approaches to reduce pollution in natural waters is critical for safeguarding Canada's freshwater resources and supporting initiatives to strengthen our economy. Availability of a method for rapid cost-effective analysis of large numbers of water and solid samples for multiple elements including toxic metals and harmful nutrients is a critical necessity for conducting cutting edge research on water treatment technologies and remediation approaches. This proposal seeks funding for the urgent replacement of an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES) system that is the only type of elemental analysis instrument that meets this critical need. Our former ICP-OES system, which reached end of life and failed after 15 years of heavy usage, was a critical instrument and workhorse for the transformative research programs led by the Western Water Centre including the applicants' research programs. ICP-OES is the most effective way to determine multi-element concentrations in samples as it is fast and cost efficient, as well as sufficiently robust for HQP to be trained on the system and independently run sample analyses. There is no other ICP-OES or similar elemental analysis instrument at Western (or in the surrounding area) for the applicants to use that is available, cost effective and has reasonable (<6 week) sample turn-around time. The applicants' research programs, which are advancing water treatment technologies with strong commercialization and spin-off potential, have stalled since our former ICP-OES system failed. It is not currently possible to achieve the outcomes of our existing programs without access to an ICP-OES system. The failure of our former ICP-OES system is also severely impacting the current training and project outcomes of over 20 HQP. Based on our prior experience, it is expected over 60 HQP will be trained on the requested replacement system over the next 5 years and gain technical and hands-on skills highly valuable for career advancement. The requested ICP-OES system is critical for supporting leading research programs that will have enormous benefits for Canada through testing and commercialization of new water treatment technologies as well as directly informing government policy for protection and remediation of freshwater resources.