Research Methods
Research workflow
From environmental questions to mechanism validation
Identify in the field
Use mine sites, soil profiles, and long-term observations to define environmental questions and controlling factors.
Isolate experimentally
Separate the effects of moisture, plants, microorganisms, and minerals in climate-chamber and greenhouse experiments.
Characterize across scales
Connect molecular composition and interfacial structure with microscale distributions and three-dimensional pore architecture.
Validate mechanisms
Return experimental insights to the field and test their explanatory power for pedogenesis, carbon stabilization, and rehabilitation.
Capabilities
Experimental and analytical capabilities
Synchrotron and Advanced Spectroscopy
Resolving elemental speciation, coordination environments, and spatial coupling between organic matter and mineral phases.
- XAFSOxidation states, coordination environments, and phase transformations of Fe, Al, Si, and related elements.
- Synchrotron FTIR mappingDistributions of organic functional groups and their spatial relationships with mineral phases.
- STXMMicro- to nano-scale co-localization and interfacial structures of organic and mineral components.
Molecular, Microscale, and 3D Structure
Linking organic-matter composition with microscale elemental distributions, aggregates, and pore architecture.
- NanoSIMSMicroscale elemental mapping and spatial analysis of organo-mineral interfaces.
- FTICR-MS / Orbitrap-MSMolecular composition and transformation of complex environmental organic matter.
- Micro-CTThree-dimensional reconstruction of aggregates and soil pore structures.
Controlled Experiments and Field Validation
Testing process mechanisms across laboratory, greenhouse, and mine-site scales.
- Climate chambersControlled studies of temperature, moisture, plants, and microbial processes.
- Automated greenhousesMesocosm-scale simulations of tailing pedogenesis, plant establishment, and soil processes.
- Mine-site experimentsThousand-square-meter field tests of tailing rehabilitation and pedogenesis.
- Field-station collaborationLong-term observations, cross-site comparisons, and field validation.
Routine Analysis and Collaborative Resources
Combining team facilities and long-term shared resources for basic properties, reaction products, and interfacial features.
- Infrared and micro-FTIRMineral phases, organic functional groups, and their spatial distributions.
- AFM and confocal Raman microscopyMineral surface morphology, interfacial structures, and microscale composition.
- Elemental, TOC/TN, and stable-isotope analysisCarbon and nitrogen inventories, water sources, and transformation processes.
- Liquid and gas chromatographySmall organic molecules, metabolites, and reaction products.
Academic collaboration
Questions and mechanisms
Joint experiments, multi-platform characterization, and cross-site comparisons addressing mineral interfaces, elemental cycling, soil formation, and microbial processes.
Industry collaboration
Field challenges and validation
Mine-site investigation, process diagnosis, technology validation, long-term monitoring, and rehabilitation demonstrations connecting mechanisms with practice.