Micro-XRF machine opens new possibilities for research and environmental analysis at SLU

The technology that makes the invisible visible – this is XRF

The machine can be compared to a high-tech X-ray machine and will help our researchers and environmental monitoring and assessment analysts examine the chemical composition of materials such as fish otoliths (ear stones), but also many other types of samples. XRF stands for X-Ray Fluorescence.

– With this new technology, analyses that used to take months – sometimes up to a year – can now be completed in just one day, says Yvette Heimbrand, researcher at the Institute of Coastal Research. Together with Philip Jacobson, researcher at the Institute of Freshwater Research, she has long championed the idea of bringing a micro X-ray fluorescence machine to Öregrund.

The machine will primarily be used for otolith chemistry, where fish ear stones are analyzed to reveal where the fish have lived and how they have migrated. The technique makes it possible to determine, for example, whether eels are marked with strontium – indicating human intervention – or if they have migrated naturally to Swedish waters*. Previously, these analyses could cost up to half a million SEK per year; now the same work can be done faster, cheaper, and on-site.

– We can start an analysis in the evening and have the results ready the next morning. It saves both time and money – and opens the door to entirely new research opportunities, says Philip Jacobson.

A resource for the entire research community

The potential of the technology reaches far beyond fish research. Micro-XRF can analyze the chemical composition of almost any material – from soil samples, plants, and mussel shells to fossils and mammal teeth.

– We’ve already received fossils from archaeologists in the United States, and next we’ll be test-scanning teeth from killer whales, porpoises, and otters in collaboration with the Swedish Museum of Natural History and the Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), says Yvette Heimbrand.

– The amazing thing is that the machine doesn’t destroy the samples, which means they can be used for further analyses. It’s becoming a resource not only for us, but for all of SLU – and for other universities, companies, and organizations that want to analyze materials quickly and cost-effectively, Yvette Heimbrand concludes.

With the new micro-XRF machine, SLU Aqua can now offer a unique research infrastructure in Sweden – while also contributing to new knowledge about fish, our ecosystems, and much more.

* Since 2009, all eels released into Swedish waters have been chemically marked with strontium.