Our laboratory for chemical analysis helps with all product related and environmental questions regarding the use of wood and renewable raw materials both indoors and outdoors, as well as in the manufacturing process. We enable the environmentally friendly design of products and processes. We support companies in research, product development, independent testing, and during the approval process. In process management, the focus is often on chemical components in the raw material, the process chemicals, and the sensory detection of these quantities.
We offer
Wide range of applications
The most common areas of work in the chemistry laboratory include the analysis and determination of:
- Emissions from wood, wood-based materials, construction products and coatings
- Biocides in wood preservatives, products coated or impregnated with them, leaching when used outdoors and waste wood
- Chemical ingredients in waste wood, biogenic solid fuels, substrates, wood and renewable raw materials or soils
- Process chemicals such as bleach, complexing agents or additives
Despite the wide range of the working fields in the chemistry laboratory, the raw materials, semi-finished products, and products are examined, developed, and researched as well. We thus provide our services along the entire value chain of wood and renewable raw materials, including their processing methods, as well as all accompanying materials in construction, furnishings, and outdoor use, right through to the end use of solid products and energy carriers.
Mobile building material laboratory
The mobile building materials laboratory complements our infrastructure. Many decisions can be made directly on-site in situations such as initial site visits, deconstruction audits, or remediation. Specialized methods for on-site sampling, sample preparation, and measurement shorten analysis times. Initial assessments of moisture, heavy metals, or any other contaminants form the basis for a targeted evaluation with the primary focus on preserving resources within the existing structure or within a material loop whenever possible.
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Our services
Chromatography
We determine emissions and active substances with HPLC or GC, with IC elements and low-molecular substances (N, P, S, F, Cl, formate, acetate). In addition to wood samples, we also measure substrates or fertilizers.
Spectroscopy
We use spectroscopic methods for the detection of formaldehyde and for surface analysis of coatings and substrates. We answer questions regarding the local resolution of contaminations using SEM/EDX.
Digestion and Extraction
Accurate sample preparation is most essential for chemical analytics. We digest samples via microwave or bomb calorimeter and perform extractions applying ASE, ultrasonic bath or wet chemical procedures.
Elemental analysis
A major part of the periodic table of elements reaching from alkaline and alkaline earth metals via metals, metalloids up until halogens is covered by ICP-OES, XRF and IC techniques. The local resolution of contaminations is investigated by use of SEM/EDX.
Human toxicology
We establish the basis for human toxicological assessments. With our methods, we determine CMR-substances, toxic substances and relevant sum parameter such as PAH. Limit or guide-line values (e.g. EU-LCI, WHO) and legal requirements (e.g. Austrian ChemikalienVerbotsV, formaldehyde regulation, Austrian Recyclingholzverordnung) provide the framework for this.
Available infrastructure
- Standard test chambers: inert, conditioned 0.225 m³ and 1 m³ chambers for formaldehyde and VOC emission analysis
- Facilities for formaldehyde and VOC sampling in indoor spaces
- FLEC: CHEMATEC, Field- and Laboratory Emission-Cell for the localization of emissions in the object, apartment, house, or construction site, as well as a miniature emission chamber in test setups
- Gas analysis: Weiss Technik, accelerated formaldehyde emission measurement
- Perforator: Formaldehyde content based on toluene extraction
- Photometer and UV-VIS spectral photometer: Hach Lange and Analytik Jena including integrating sphere
- Microwave digestion system: CEM MARS 6
- ASE: Thermo Fisher Scientific, ASE 350, Accelerated Solvent Extractor for gentle solvent extraction
- TD-GC/MS/ECD/FID: Markes / Thermo Fisher Scientific, Gas chromatography with thermal desorption unit, mass spectrometer, electron capture detector, flame ionization detector
- HPLC/DAD/RI: Thermo Fisher Scientific, High performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector, refractive index detector
- IC/UV/CD: Thermo Fisher Scientific, Ion chromatography with UV and conductivity detector
- ICP-OES: Thermo Fisher Scientific, iCAP PRO XP Duo, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry for inorganic elemental analysis
- Mobile XRF: Spectro, Spectroscout, portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for non-destructive material testing
