PLATINAAE, an analytical platform for your research in environmental chemistry

Ecotoxicological studies need high quality measurements of chemical contamination within all the compartments (physicochemical and biological) of the environment. In consequence, analytical laboratories must produce traceable analytical data, with high level of confidence, in numerous complex matrices. PLATINAAE (PLATeforme d’INgéniérie Analytique pour l’Agriculture et l’Environnement) is the central platform for analytical chemistry of INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research) mainly dedicated to plant and soil analysis. This platform is supported by two laboratories located at Arras (LAS) and Bordeaux (USRAVE). Both are equipped with high-performance instrumentation and are accredited according to the standard ISO 17025. In USRAVE, PLATINAAE works mainly on plants. It is capable of preparing and analyzing all parts of a plant (fruits, stems, roots, leaves, needles, wood...), and all types of plants (trees, cereals, grasses, fruits and vegetables...). The analyses concern the major elements essential to plant growth (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium...), and trace elements, especially metallic trace elements with direct effects on the environment or health (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury...). In the LAS, PLATINAAE performs measurements on soils. The analysis done in this unit concern pedoagronomic analysis (pH, particle size distribution, P, K, Ca, Mg, organic matter…), environmental analysis for metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, As…) and also for organic polluants (pesticides, herbicides, dioxins, PCB, PAH…). The determinations may be done as total content or as bioavailable content. PLATINAAE works essentially as a partner for research programs. The main themes investigated are environmental contamination, biogeochemical cycle of elements in various ecosystems (crops, lands, forests...), soil quality, food chain or plant physiology. PLATINAAE performs also analyses on living organisms (invertebrates…) and wastes (sludge, compost…). In these scopes, the platform participates to numerous programs for environmental observation and experimentation, such as the ICOS Ecosystem program, the European program Biosoil, the RMQS network, RENECOFOR (monitoring of French forests)… PLATINAEE develops also innovative methods in analytical chemistry according to the needs of its partners (samples of very small sizes, trace and ultra-trace elements such as lanthanides or PGEs, mapping of plant organs…).