Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

We improve our understanding of the environment and its natural resources by analyzing the crystalline materials that make up the solid Earth. Crystalline minerals play essential roles in the environment by acting as sources and sinks of elements including nutrients, precious metals, and pollutants. X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a robust method for identifying and quantifying crystalline materials including minerals, rocks, sediments, and human-made substances making it an invaluable tool for studying the Earth. Funding will be used to purchase a versatile and powerful X-ray diffractometer with a sophisticated, high-resolution detector. The equipment will directly support four NSERC-funded research programs that include 41 HQP in studying carbon sequestration, mineral-water interactions, natural resources, weathering, soils, element and pollutant cycling, human disturbance on ecosystems, dust emissions and air quality, sediment transport, and geomorphologic processes. An XRD is urgently needed to carry out graduate theses in each of our research groups as there is no cost-effective option for obtaining mineralogical data and no opportunities for student training. This equipment will add new and innovative research capabilities that are currently not available at Trent while also facilitating industry collaborations. The XRD will be available to other researchers at Trent and outside users at no cost to maximize its use. The proposed equipment is user-friendly in its operation, thereby making it ideal for new users to quickly become trained and begin collecting their own data. Students will receive valuable training in mineralogical and X-ray diffraction methods from sample preparation to instrument operation and data collection to final interpretations. This hands-on training will provide students with marketable skills to prepare them for their future endeavors in environmental consulting, resource industries, material science, metallurgy, and inorganic chemistry. The benefits to Canada through our research and making use of the proposed equipment are improved environmental protection and resource management while helping develop new sectors in Canada's economy such as carbon management and sequestration.**