Experimental services

Catalogue of CeTrA's experimental services

Environmental Analytical Chemistry (EAC)

EAC-01: VOCs and SVOCs analysis

Quali-quantitative determination of (semi)volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs) in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, speleothems, biota), food

• Specific analytes: persistent organic pollutants (PAHs, PCBs, PBDE); biogenic tracers (fecal and plant sterols, linear alkanes, fatty acids, waxes); fragrances.
• Technique: gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).
• Equipment: GC 7890A - single quadrupole MS 5975C (Agilent Technologies) equipped with 150 slots autosampler (7693A ALS, Agilent Technologies) and EI source operated in positive mode; GC 7890A - single quadrupole MS 5975C (Agilent Technologies) equipped with Unity2 (Markes International) thermal desorption system, 16 slots autosampler (G4513A, Agilent Technologies) and EI source operated in positive mode; GC Trace 1310 (Thermo Scientific) - TSQ 9000 triple quadrupole MS/MS, equipped with user-exchangeable instant connect injector and detector modules, ExtractraBrite EI/AEI/CI ion source.
• Supporting services: field sampling, sample preparation (extraction, purification, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: GC-MS elena.argiriadis@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice); GC-MS/MS vecchiato@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE). Service provided by collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-02: Microplastics quantitative analysis

Quali-quantitative determination of microplastics by polymer type in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota)

• Specific analytes: PE, PP, PS, ABS, PVC, PET, PC, PMMA, Nylon, etc. (matrix and objective -dependent).
• Technique: pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS).
• Equipment: GC HP6890 - single quadrupole MS 5973N (Agilent Technologies) equipped with a CDS 5150 pyrolizer (CDS Analytical).
• Supporting services: field sampling, sample preparation (extraction, purification, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: elena.gregoris@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice). Service provided by ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-03: Microplastics qualitative analysis

Quali-quantitative determination of microplastics, microlitter, coatings and active pharmaceutical ingredients in environmental matrices (waters - stormwater, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota)

• Specific analytes: PE, PP, PS, ABS, PVC, PET, PC, PMMA, Nylon, etc. (matrix and objective -dependent).
• Technique: pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS).
• Equipment: GC HP6890 - single quadrupole MS 5973N (Agilent Technologies) equipped with a CDS 5150 pyrolizer (CDS Analytical).
• Supporting services: field sampling, sample preparation (extraction, purification, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Specific analytes: PE, PP, PS, ABS, PVC, PET, PC, PMMA, Nylon, etc. (matrix and objective -dependent).
• Technique: fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy.
• Equipment: Nicolet iN10 (Thermo Scientific), equipped with motorized stage, MicroTip ATR device for direct contact sampling and analysis of fine structures (down to 3 µm), motorized visible polarizer for visual inspection, MTC-A detector with spectral range 7800–650 cm^-1, acquisition in transmission, reflection or ATR modes.
• Supporting services: field sampling, sample preparation (extraction, filtration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: fabiana.corami@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice). Service provided by ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-04: Polar organics untargeted analysis

Qualitative chemical characterization of polar organic compounds in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota), food

• Specific analysis: suspect screening analysis, untargeted analysis, metabolomic investigation, study of degradation products of contaminants (bisphenol A, pesticides, PFAs).
• Technique: ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS).
• Equipment: Ultimate 3000 - Orbitrap XL (Thermo Scientific) equipped with Nanospray Flex ion source and Picotip silica emitter.
• Supporting services: field sampling, sample preparation (extraction, purification, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: roberta.zangrando@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-05: Polar organics targeted analysis

Quantitative determination of polar organic compounds in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota), food, human biomonitoring

• Specific analytes: emerging contaminants (haloacetic acids, polar anionic pesticides, benzothiazoles, bisphenols, organo-phosphates flame retardants), fire tracers (anhydrosugars, methoxy phenolic compounds), biogenic tracers (alcohol sugars, saccharides, L-D amino acids, α-pinene oxidation products).
• Technique: High performance ion chromatography - mass spectrometry (HPIC-MS); high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS/MS).
• Equipment: ICS-5000 Standard Bore and Microbore System (Dionex, Thermo Scientific) coupled to a single quadrupole MSQ Plus (Thermo Scientific); 1100 series HPLC system (Agilent Technologies) coupled to API 4000 triple quadrupole MS (Applied Biosystems/MDS SCIEX); Ion chromatography system ICS-6000 HPLC Dual Pump with AS-AP thermostatic autosampler coupled to ISQ-EC single quadrupole mass spectrometer (Thermo Scientific Dionex).
• Supporting services: field sampling, sample preparation (extraction, purification), data elaboration.
• Contacts: matteo.feltracco@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-06: Ultratrace elemental analysis

High precision quantitative determination at ultra-trace levels of elements and isotopic/elemental ratios in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota), food, human biomonitoring, innovative materials

• Technique: inductively coupled plasma - sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS).
• Equipment: Element XR (Thermo Scientific) equipped with a SC-4 autosampler (ESI) for continuous data acquisition and APEX (ESI) high sensitivity desolvating vating system.
• Supporting services: field sampling, samples preparation (digestion, fractionation, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: giulio.cozzi@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice). Service provided by ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-07: Elemental analysis

Quantitative multi-elemental analysis from major to low-trace levels in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota), food, human biomonitoring, innovative materials

• Technique: inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma - quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS).
• Equipment: iCAP-RQ (Thermo Scientific) equipped with a Qcell technology assembly using He as collision gas and/or H₂ as reaction gas, autosampler ASX-560 (Cetac) for high-throughput analysis, sample introduction kit for the analysis of HF-digests and cone inserts for high sensitivity/robust/high matrix analysis; iCAP 7400 (Thermo Scientific) equipped with a high-efficiency light transmission system, radial or duo (radial + axial) acquisition mode, autosampler ASX-560 (Cetac) for high-throughput analysis.
• Supporting services: samples preparation (digestion, fractionation, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: cairns@unive.it (ISP-CNR Venice), marco.roman@unive.it (UNIVE-DAIS). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-08: Mercury analysis

Quantitative determination of mercury at trace-ultratrace levels in environmental matrices (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric aerosols, snow/ice, biota); in-field real-time detection of mercury vapor in the air

• Technique: cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (CV-AFS) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).
• Equipment: Mercur DUO Plus - Analytik Jena AG CV-AAS equipped with AS-FD autosampler for liquid matrices; high sensitivity mercury analyzer Lumex RA-915AM AAS (portable).
• Supporting services: field sampling (US-EPA 1669), sample preparation (US-EPA 1631 vers. E / UNI-EN 15853: 2010, treatment with BrCl, NH₂OH·HCl, SnCl₂, digestion, preconcentration), data elaboration.
• Contacts: warrenraymondlee.cairns@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-09: Airborne ultrafine particles sizing

Size distribution analysis of airborne submicron particles for the study of atmospheric aerosols transport dynamics, source apportionment, indoor air quality monitoring, nucleation/condensation studies, combustion and engine exhaust studies, inhalation toxicology studies, nanotechnology research and materials synthesis

• Technique: Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) spectrometry.
• Equipment: TSI CEN SMPS 10-800 nm acquisition range with 384 total channels, equipped with soft X-rays neutralizer, CPC, PM2.5 and PM10 sampling head, compliant with TROPOS standards, ACTRIS recommendations and UNI CEN/TS 17434:2020.
• Contacts: mauro.masiol@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE).

EAC-10: Atmospheric PM sampling

Indoor/outdoor sampling of atmospheric dust, aerosols and gases; participation in environmental sampling and/or monitoring campaigns

• Equipment: high volume sampler DIGITEL DHA80r (TSP, PM10, PM2.5, PM1) with 15 150 mm filters and 4 PUF filters; sequential PMx GEMINI Dadolab aerosols sampler (TSP, PM10, PM1) on 47 mm filters; high-flow cascade impactor (TSI) with 6 stages in the 10, 2.5, 1.4, 0.77, 0.44 and 0.25 µm aerodynamic size range.
• Supporting services: filters/equipment decontamination and preparation. Consultancy on sampling campaign organization and logistics can also be provided.
• Contacts: matteo.feltracco@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-11: Mobile laboratory

Customized vehicle for remote/itinerating sampling/measurement campaigns (waters, sediments, soils, atmospheric PM and volatile compounds)

• Equipment: customized 4x4 Ford Transit van equipped with weather station and atmospheric aerosol (PM10, PM2.5) sequential sampler (Tecora Skypost).
• Supporting services: the van can be equipped with other portable instruments (from CeTrA or third parties) or used to transport voluminous and fragile instruments and materials into the field. Consultancy on sampling campaign organization and logistics can also be provided.
• Contacts: marco.roman@unive.it (DAIS UNIVE), fabrizio.deblasi@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-12: High-altitude atmospheric observatory

Monitoring/sampling campaigns at the high-altitude atmospheric observatory of MRG, with dedicated data sharing/integration

• Equipment: Bulk deposimeter for Hg in atmospheric deposition (MercuryBulk, Bus100, Eigenbrodt), weather sensors (temperature and relative humidity of air, atmospheric pressure, wind direction and speed, snow height and soil temperature), PM10 sequential low volume particulate autosampler (Skypost, Tecora), High-Flow Cascade Impactor 131B (TSI), Optical Particle Counter (OPC, XearPro), O₃, CO and NO_x analyzers (XearPro), Aethalometer AE33 (Magee Scientific), mercury analyser RA-915AM (Lumex), Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS, TSI), aerosol particles samplers (DIGITEL DHA80 rand GEMINI Dadolabr).
• Supporting services: the observatory can be adapted to host custom-made/third parties instrumental set-ups to conduct experiments in high-altitude alpine environment conditions. Consultancy on sampling campaign organization and logistics can also be provided.
• Contacts: fabrizio.deblasi@cnr.it and giulio.cozzi@cnr.it (ISP-CNR Venice).

EAC-13: Clean laboratories

Samples/materials decontamination, manipulation and pre-analytics in clean laboratories for trace organic and inorganic analysis; conduction of experiments in contamination-free controlled conditions

• Equipment: Clean Room Inorganics (ISO 6 to ISO 4 laboratory environment constructed entirely of plastic-coated materials) and Clean Room Organics (ISO 7 to ISO 4 laboratory environment constructed entirely of steel materials), both overpressure, equipped with ceiling installed HEPA filters for continuous filtering of the internal air and dedicated internal production systems of Milli-Q water (Elga LabWater).
• Supporting services: the clean laboratories can be adapted to host custom-made/third parties instrumental set-ups to conduct experiments in contamination-free controlled conditions.
• Contacts: Inorganics Clean Laboratory marco.roman@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE); Organics Clean Laboratory matteo.feltracco@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE). Service provided by joint collaboration between UNIVE-DAIS and ISP-CNR VE.

EAC-14: Water isotopes analysis

High-precision measurement of stable isotopes of water (δ¹⁸O, δ¹⁷O, δD) in atmospheric vapour, precipitation, and meltwater

• Technique: Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS).
• Equipment: Picarro L2140-i equipped with autosampler (model A0325) and vaporizer (model A0211).
• Supporting services: Consultancy on experimental design, data elaboration and interpretation.
• Contacts: barbara.stenni@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE).

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Physico-chemical Characterization of Materials (PCCM)

PCCM-01: Surface microanalysis

Micro-to-nano scale analysis of composition, morphology and size distributions in vacuum and variable-pressure (VP) mode of materials (ceramics, metals, glass) and environmental samples (atmospheric aerosols, mineral and biological particles) for material sciences and environmental applications; chemical (elemental) imaging

• Technique: scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
• Equipment: field emission (FE) SEM Zeiss Ʃigma VPr equipped with a thermal field emission gun (Schottky emitter) source, pressures adjustable from 1 to 133 Pa (uncoated non-conductive specimens), equipped with multiple imaging detectors (with high collection efficiency Everhart-Thornley detector for SE; high-resolution in lens detector for SE at nominal resolution down to 1.5 nm @ 15 kV; 4-sector semiconductor detector for BSE; Bruker Quantax 200 EDS system of the SDD type for elemental analysis at resolution ≤127 eV @ 5.6 keV).
• Supporting services: sample preparation.
• Contacts: michele.back@unive.it (DSMN-UNIVE).

PCCM-02: Surface nanotopography analysis

Nano/atomic-scale topographic and surface chemistry (electrical conductivity) imaging analysis in ambient and liquid environments of materials (adsorbents, semiconductors, polymers, atmospheric aerosols, mineral and biological particles) for molecular engineering, material science, environmental applications and cellular biology

• Technique: atomic force microscopy (AFM).
• Equipment: Dimension Icon (Bruker) AFM platform; analysis in contact, tapping and non-contact modes, equipped for conductive AFM (c-AFM), Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and nanomechanical analysis (PeakForce-QNM®) by means of PeakForce Tapping® technology.
• Supporting services: sample preparation.
• Contacts: leonardo.puppulin@unive.it (DSMN-UNIVE).

PCCM-03: Phase composition analysis

Characterization of crystalline phases, identification of fine-grained minerals, purity analysis, textural measurements and thin films and nanostructures characterization of/in materials (ceramics) and environmental samples (atmospheric aerosols, mineral particles) for material sciences and environmental applications; analysis in air and in liquid

• Technique: X-ray diffraction spectrometry (XRD).
• Equipment: X-ray Empyrean Series 3 (Malvern Panalytical) platform equipped with a point-like X-ray source, standard wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and ultra-small angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) modes, grazing-incidence GISAXS and GIWAXS geometries, spatial resolution ~300 μm.
• Supporting services: sample preparation.

• Contacts: riellop@unive.it (DSMN-UNIVE), michele.back@unive.it (DSMN-UNIVE).

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Information Technology (IT)

IT-01: Remote statistical data analysis

Statistical data analysis and visualization, virtual machines access

• Software: OriginPro (OriginLab).
• Contacts: marco.roman@unive.it (DAIS-UNIVE).

IT-02: Remote MS data analysis

Untargeted and targeted analysis of complex mass spectrometry data, enabling identification, characterization, and annotation of unknown compounds in complex mixtures; remote access

• Software: Compound Discoverer (Thermo Fisher Scientific).
• Contacts: roberta.zangrando@cnr.it (ISP-CNR).