Karstological Laboratory for Chemical, Biological, Microbiological and Geological Research

The chemical laboratory, established in 1976, primarily conducts chemical analyses of water. To measure the concentrations of major anions and cations in water, we use an ion chromatograph and a digital titrator. A fluorescence spectrometer is used to detect fluorescent tracers in water samples.

As the institute’s needs for additional analytical methods grew, we expanded our capabilities to include techniques used in microbiology and molecular biology, enabling the identification and characterisation of microorganisms. The laboratory equipment allows for the cultivation and storage of microbiological cultures, as well as the isolation and basic analysis of their nucleic acids.

The biological section of the laboratory is equipped with modern electron and light microscopes that enable precise identification of the species composition of communities of organisms. The equipment also allows for the examination of microplastics in samples.

In the geological section of the laboratory, we conduct petrographic, lithological, sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical analyses of rock and sediment samples. To do so, we use multiple magnifiers and microscopes, including polarizing ones, with cameras; equipment for cold cathodoluminescence microscopy; an X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) instrument; a wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WD XRF) spectrometer; a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer; and equipment for analysing fluid inclusions in crystals (microthermometry and salinity).

Newer research equipment is presented at https://www.zrc-sazu.si/en/strani/new-research-equipment-ri-si-lifewatch