On January 17, 2023, the Department of General Ecology, Anatomy and Physiology of Plants of the Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University hosted an opening ceremony of the new research laboratory as part of the government assignment to provide public services No. 075-03-2022-190 on “Developing a national system for recording the absorption of greenhouse gases in ecosystems.”
The laboratory is located in a completely renovated specialized premises of the University, equipped with new modern laboratory furniture and general laboratory equipment for research.
To perform under the Project, the laboratory utilizes weighing, thermostating, and ionometric equipment of general profile; it has a modern laminar flow cabinet for working with microorganisms, an automatic elemental CHNS analyzer ECS 4024 (NC Tech, Italy) for measuring the content of carbon, nitrogen and other elements in soil and plant samples.
In the near future, a Chromatec-Crystal 5000 gas chromatograph will be put into operation in the laboratory to study the main greenhouse gas flows in ecosystems, the biological activity of soils, and the processes of transformation of plant residues, and an AA 6800 atomic absorption spectrometer (Shimadzu, Japan) will be used to analyze heavy metals and trace elements in soils, plants, and natural waters.
The laboratory capacities make it possible to not only perform under the Project, but also conduct student-led research at the highest level and teach future Bachelors, Masters and Specialists how to use modern methods of eco-analytical control over environmental objects and experimental methods in science.
The opening ceremony was attended by:
- Rector of the Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University, I. A. Melnichuk
- Vice Rector for Scientific and International Affairs of the Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University, A. A. Dobrovolsky
- Vice Rector for Production and Technical Support of the Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University, S. F. Lyakhovnenko
- Head of the Department of General Ecology, Anatomy and Physiology of Plants, E. A. Kapitsa