
NSF Org: |
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | August 24, 2021 |
Latest Amendment Date: | September 7, 2022 |
Award Number: | 2117198 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Amanda Keen-Zebert
EAR Division Of Earth Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
Start Date: | September 1, 2021 |
End Date: | August 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $295,464.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $295,464.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1 BROOKINGS DR SAINT LOUIS MO US 63130-4862 (314)747-4134 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
MO US 63130-4899 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | Major Research Instrumentation |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program award supports the purchase of an X-ray absorption and emission spectrometer that will be hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. The new instrument will be available for use by researchers at the university, in the surrounding region, and further afield. It will be the first of its kind at a university in the United States that is optimized for research in the field of Earth and environmental science. Scientists will use this new tool to study a wide array of questions, such as how life forms minerals, how soils and treatment methods remove contaminants from water, and how gases and water in molten rock affect volcanic eruptions. In addition, this instrument will be used to train the next generation of scientists and as part of research internships for college and high school students, including those from the City of St. Louis. The instrument laboratory will accept samples by mail in addition to in-person usage. This mail-in service opens up access to this unique research capability to students at undergraduate-serving institutions that lack their own major instrumentation and to persons with disabilities who would otherwise need to travel to one of the four major national facilities where these X-ray techniques have traditionally been available.
The proposed instrument will enable two types of measurements in a laboratory setting that until recently were only accessible at a synchrotron lightsource: transmission X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and high-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). The XAS capability will allow quantification of oxidation state, coordination environment, and local structure of elements occurring at >1 wt.%. The XES capability extends sensitivity to elements occurring at concentrations as low as 10 to 100 ?g/g, providing information on oxidation state, transition metal spin state, and coordination. Diverse solid, liquid, or biological samples can be studied using both methods. The instrument will facilitate research on a diverse array of topics, including biogeochemical mineral formation and transformation, biosignatures and prebiotic chemistry on the early Earth, bacterial and fungal metabolisms and products, metal contaminant fate and remediation, volatiles that drive volcanic eruptions, conditions during the formation and evolution of the Solar System, signatures of sedimentary and diagenetic processes in the rock record, drinking water treatment and supply, and recovery of nutrient and energy resources from wastewaters. The instrument enables migration of a subset of XAS measurements from a synchrotron to a laboratory setting, freeing time at beamlines for the many experiments that uniquely require a lightsource facility. In addition, the proposed instrument facilitates the development of XES for Earth and environmental sciences applications, where this technique has seen little usage to date, and will serve as a testbed for wider migration of X-ray spectroscopic methods into a laboratory setting over the coming decade.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project supported the acquisition of an easyXAFS 300+ X-ray absorption and emission spectrometer for use in earth and environmental science research at Washington University in St. Louis. This acquisition directly enhanced the analytical capabilities and infrastructure in St. Louis, Missouri, and the surrounding region. The new spectrometer provides in situ information on the chemistry of elements occurring in solid and liquid samples. The instrument will be used to address an array of important research questions on topics such as contaminant fate, drinking water treatment, and critical mineral resources. It also enables the development of X-ray emission spectroscopy as a new method for use in earth and environmental science research. This is the first instrument of its kind for earth and environmental science applications and allows scientists to make measurements in a laboratory that previously were limited to large and difficult to access national facilities. Access to X-ray techniques at such facilities involves high barriers to entry and the new instrument thus enables broader access. The instrument also facilitates training of the next generation of STEM scientists, including during undergraduate and high school student internships. A mail-in service is under development to enable scientists at undergraduate institutions to access these methods.
Last Modified: 09/07/2023
Modified by: Jeffrey G Catalano
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