This pilot laboratory is a powerful, mobile and flexible infrastructure for testing and demonstrating, at low cost, and directly in industrial environments or on degraded sites, new remediation and decontamination processes before their implementation on a real scale. . The laboratory team works to develop technologies for the treatment, decontamination and recovery of various matrices polluted by metals and other types of pollutants. The development of processes contributing to sustainable development in the field of environmental technologies is a priority research area of the INRS. The laboratory has a multifunctional mobile pilot plant to operate various types of physical, chemical and biological processes for the treatment of soils, hazardous wastes, gases, as well as industrial residues and effluents directly on contaminated sites.
/// Features:
- Five 1.3-litre bioreactors with a 1-litre working volume
- Tanks enabling the addition of liquid (base, acid, antifoam, substrate feed)
- Possibility to use batch, fed-batch, and continuous processing
- Laboratory-scale fermentation bioprocess exploratory studies and development
/// Examples of applications:
- Aerobic and anaerobic fermentation bioprocess development
- Exploratory studies (O2 transfer rate tests, culture medium tests)
- Optimization of fermentation conditions (O2, ventilation, temperature, pH, agitation, feed)
- Preliminary assessment of bioprocess needs
- Screening tests of microorganisms (wild-type or recombinant); screening tests
/// Features:
- Processing volume: 1 to 4 L
- Operating pressure up to 600 psi
- Feed flow ranging from 1 L/min to 6 L/min
- Membrane coupons for MF, UF, NF, and OI
- Can be adapted to forward osmosis
/// Samples:
- Liquids: effluents, residual liquids, process waters, fluids, etc.
/// Examples of applications
- Scanning and selection of the type of membrane to be used
- Optimization of membrane filtration parameters: flow, pressure, temperature
- Studies of the effects on liquids and membranes (precipitations, clogging, pressure drop, etc.)
/// Features:
- Enables the simultaneous testing of several flocculation / pre-filtration conditions
The main equipment for characterizing the physical and geochemical properties of aquifers is a specialized Geotech 605 drilling rig. With the data collected, it is possible to model the flow of water and the transport of contaminants in aquifers. It is also possible to assess the vulnerability of aquifers to contamination, to determine the most suitable protection methods and methods of exploitation for sustainable management of the groundwater resource. This crawler drill has a real-time recording system of mechanical and electrical soil responses. It also allows soil or groundwater sampling by installing observation wells. The system has two drilling heads, one for drilling by penetration (cone penetration) in loose deposits, and another equipped with a hydraulic hammer for rotary impact drilling up to 50 m in rock and loose deposits according to the conditions.
/// Features:
- Block and lids with a capacity for very rapid heating and cooling (PCR and qPCR)
- Independent gradient thermal function programming spread over 12 columns (PCR and qPCR)
- Gradient range of over 20 °C (PCR and qPCR), from 4 to 99 °C
- Vapo.protect technology reducing evaporation from the wells (qPCR)
- LED lights emit blue light at 470 nm and excite fluorophores
- (SYBR®Green, FAM, VIC, TET, HEX, ROX, JOE, TAMRA) (qPCR)
- Possibility to choose primers and probes such as Taqman, Beacon, and SYBR (qPCR)
- Continuous monitoring of DNA amplification and post-amplification analysis software
/// Examples of applications:
- Amplification of target genes in various microorganisms (PCR)
- Detection and quantification of target genes (ex. proteins, enzyme) of a variety of microorganisms (qPCR)
- Monitoring bacterial population in bioprocesses (qPCR)
- Monitoring of gene expression using ARNm and genotype variation
- Optimization of process conditions through pathogen detection (presence/absence)
/// Features:
- Input material size reduction and sample preparation
/// Examples of applications:
- Separating and concentrating metal nanoparticles
• Ionic Chromatograph
• Gas and liquid chromatographs
• Mass spectrometers
• Level 2 Laboratory for Bacteria
/// Features
- A 5-litre digester with autonomous programming for anaerobic digestion
