Team lead Aïssa Harhira at the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument in the NRC's facility in Boucherville, QC.
The NRC and Canadian agri-environmental firm Logiag have created a global first: a powerful tool to measure carbon content in soil and gain ground in the battle against climate change.
To fight the rising threat of global warming from massive amounts of CO2 in the air, companies in every industry have been working hard to reduce emissions. Many are also taking CO2 out of the air and storing it in the soil, oceans or freshwater ecosystems.
In the earth, atmospheric carbon is quarantined, or sequestered, in soil through regenerative land-use and agricultural practices. This not only cuts the amount of CO2 in the air but also improves soil health. Soil organic carbon, the main component of soil organic matter and critical to maintaining soil health, leads to higher yields, higher nutrient density and other agroecological benefits
Agroecosystems can degrade and deplete levels of soil organic carbon, but this carbon deficit also presents an opportunity to store carbon through new land management practices. In agriculture, that means keeping a close eye on fluctuating carbon levels through specialized soil analysis techniques and using the data to advance practices toward net-zero goals.
Working with Logiag, the NRC has adapted its laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology to quickly and efficiently analyze soil organic carbon.
"This is the first time LIBS technology has been used on a large scale to measure carbon stored in soil," says Dr. Mohamad Sabsabi, principal research officer with the NRC's Clean Energy Innovations Research Centre. He points out that LIBS, which uses laser pulses to identify various elements in solids, liquids and gases, was originally developed by the NRC for the mining and metallurgy industries.
Conventional techniques for soil analysis involve several methods and steps to determine the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, but they are limited when it comes to direct carbon analysis. "Our breakthrough technology reduces the time, cost and complexity of the process—and will add to the agriculture industry's arsenal for fighting climate change."
The LIBS solution cuts analysis time from days to minutes and reduces the cost from dollars to cents. It eliminates the need to prepare samples and use digestion methods—and the need to use reagents. "It does everything the process needs using a single fast, simple and cost-effective method."
LIBS technology transforms soil analysis
Logiag's next-generation LaserAg Quantum instrument, developed entirely in Canada, is the world's first LIBS machine to analyze soil samples. An environmentally friendly technology, it uses no chemicals and delivers accurate results that are comparable to the reference dry combustion technique. The only alternative to dry combustion that has been ISO 17025 certified, the LaserAg Quantum is currently in use at 3 commercial laboratories in Canada and Africa, with other customers on the horizon.
"We officially entered the market in 2023, with production now fully underway," says Dr. Carla Pereira de Morais, R&D team leader and LIBS specialist at Logiag. "And we have an R&D team dedicated to the ongoing improvement of the technology." This includes adapting the tool for enhanced quantitative analysis and making it more user-friendly.
She adds that the NRC was essential in the development of Logiag's equipment and in helping them establish their R&D team. "Since we began working together in 2011, the NRC researchers have always been available to help the LaserAg team with challenges, and their collaboration was crucial in achieving the level of advancement we have today with LIBS technology."
The vast volumes of soil samples that need to be measured, analyzed and monitored demand robust methodologies and new techniques. Logiag's easy-to-use LaserAg Quantum meets the industry's unique requirements for volume, simplicity and cost-effectiveness. For example, it can process up to 4 times more samples than traditional methods, reducing the cost per analysis and making it suitable for large agricultural projects.
Read more about this work in the 2024 research article on LaserAg Quantum as a scalable solution for analyzing soil samples, published in Scientific Reports.
Laser-focused on the future
Canada is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Net zero for CO2 is the state at which global warming stops. At that point economies either emit no greenhouse gas or offset emissions through actions such as tree planting, CO2 capture, mineralization and transformation—or by harnessing technologies such as LaserAg Quantum that can monitor carbon content in soil.
The NRC's Clean Energy Innovations Research Centre drives solutions for net-zero energy, critical minerals, advanced materials and industrial decarbonization to accelerate Canada's transition to a thriving net-zero economy. A key element in its success is working with collaborators to address pressing global challenges related to sustainability and the environment.
"This NRC–Logiag collaboration is an excellent illustration of Canada's contributions to solving global issues," says Dr. Sabsabi. "Developed entirely in Canada, the product also showcases Canadian expertise in high-tech system development."