Our Facilities

Soil Preparation Area

The Soil Preparation area is where soil samples are processed and treated before they are analysed. The lab is kitted out with soil crushers and grinders, a sonicator, drying ovens and sieves for either wet or dry sieving.

Soil sample preparation by sieving to separate its components by particle size

Spectroscopic Lab

FT-IR spectrometer for analysing soil composition and properties

The soil spectroscopy lab is equipped with a soil colour sensor, visible (vis) and near infrared (NIR) portable and miniaturised spectrometers, a Fourier-transform NIR and mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometer, and a portable instrument for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Soil Carbon Analysis Lab

Our carbon analysis lab is equiped with high throughput instruments to measure total organic carbon (TOC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN). We’ve developed a method for high-throughput soil organic carbon fractionation using granulometric or density separations to derive the particulate (POC), mineral associated (MAOC) and pyrogenic (PyOC) organic carbon fractions.

Lewis measuring soil organic and inorganic carbon

In situ Soil Assessment

Sadichhya using a LI-COR soil respiration smart chamber to measure soil microbial activity

We are equipped for field measurement of soils in our field experiments such as those taking place at Muresk. Our field equipment aids soil type identification and characterisation of soil properties including, soil water, texture, bulk density, soil microbial activity and soil diffuse reflectance spectra.