Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The NSERC RTI request will help get a Gas Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) system for Characterization of Oil and Dispersants in Canadian Marine Environments. GC is an essential chromatography designed for separation and analysis of targeting pure components from a mixture, and MS/MS integrates two mass spectrometers to amplify the capacities to analyze organic chemicals, especially in a trace level. The equipment is a feasible tool to host world-class expertise for supporting leading-edge research on marine oil spill response. It will facilitate a shift towards novel and environmentally friendly methodologies and solutions for oil spills in cold marine environments. Innovation in the field is urgently needed in North Atlantic and Arctic Canada, where harsh environments (e.g., cold water, rough seas, sea ice, and low visibility) challenge the current knowledge and technologies, and where interest and activities of the offshore operations (e.g., oil and gas shipping and development) are growing.******The proposed equipment can be used to analyze (1) primary hydrocarbons (n-alkanes, 16 PAHs, alkylated PAHs, oxygenated fractions) in samples for calculating source oil and dispersed oil degradation rates due to weathering including volatilization, photo-oxidation and microbial degradation, (2) biomarkers (e.g., diamantanes, sesquiterpanes, and alkylated-PAHs) for differentiating and tracing dispersed oil under multiple ocean scenarios, (3) phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) for profiling microbial activities in oil polluted marine environments, and (4) fatty acid and/or saccharide compositions of biosurfactants for aiding new/green oil dispersant generation. ******Outputs of the proposed research programs would include such as (i) advanced GC-MS/MS based analytical methods, (ii) low-toxic, biodegradable and effective dispersants for oil spill response; (iii) improved knowledge on behaviors of oil and dispersants, as well as on interactions of spilled oil with marine particles and organisms in Canadian marine environments. The findings will not only fill the knowledge and technical gaps, provide feasible solutions with potentially huge scientific and practical values, but help create a first-class stimulating and enriched training/research environment for HQP and collaborators. It will promote technology transfer to benefit industry and government, establish Canada as a leading country in marine oil spill response research, and help provide 6.5 million Canadians who live near marine coasts with a safer living environment.*****