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前沿，其中包括同位素计量学、微古生物学和晶体学。所有这些技术都依赖于对自然样品（岩石、土壤、化石、矿物、金属、动物物质）的测量，可以从中分离出特定的成分。这些组件必须无污染，在某些情况下，例如微化石检查、硅藻表征和使用热年代学重建热历史，组件部件需要完好无损（例如完整的磷灰石晶体）。 SelFrag 系统是一种实验室规模的解决方案，用于对 NERC 科学领域使用的各种材料进行选择性破碎。它是唯一能够在不造成材料机械损坏的情况下完整释放此类组件的提取系统。 SelFrag 使用高压放电来破碎批量材料，并从整体（无论是岩石还是电子废物）中释放单个成分。 SelFrag 系统独立、紧凑，在瑞士建造，符合所有欧盟健康和安全法规。该系统非常适合用于地球科学、采矿和回收研究，英国早就应该建立这种能力。目前，英国各地的许多实验室和研究人员都以现收现付的方式在国外使用这种能力——英国的研究资金正在支持国际运营，这既浪费金钱，而且周转速度也很慢。对于没有资金支付访问费用的研究人员来说，这项技术是无法获得的，研究只能使用劣质样本进行分析。目前 SelFrag 在英国还没有，因此该实验室的建立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获取的形式运营该实验室，NERC 国家环境同位素设施是一组提供同位素地球化学方面社区服务的实验室。通过使用这种交付模型，所有在 NERC 职权范围内工作的英国调查人员都可以使用 SelFrag 功能。在英国研究与创新部的支持下，项目团队还将寻求为 STFC 和 EPSRC 职权范围内的研究人员（例如陨石研究、电子、回收）提供独特的样品制备解决方案。我们提出的交付模式将确保 NERC 资本投资产生最大影响，该套件支持许多科学实验/项目的第一步 - 样品制备。目前受雇于 SUERC 的科学家和技术人员将操作 SelFrag 系统，从而为NERC 和英国用户社区。提供该功能的团队在提供基于社区的技术设施和功能方面拥有丰富的经验 - SelFrag 对 NEIF 提供的功能高度赞赏。通过与 PI 和 NERC 博士培训合作伙伴进行长期讨论，确定了社区需求，并且在 SUERC 建立 SelFrag 实验室有可能使英国的每个学术机构受益，并为环境科学领域的博士生提供前沿培训。它将让英国科学家在矿物、岩石、金属、化石等的制备方面具有国际竞争力，从而保持在其研究领域的前沿。