PBR provides accurate, consistent and reliable analytical services for a variety of environmental matrices such as air, water, soil, sludge, sediment, core samples, drilling waste, compost, manure and fertilizers. We provide services to environmental, agricultural and petrochemical industries and public sector clients. PBR operates in compliance with the national and international quality standards, and follows approved analytical methods using the state of the art analytical equipment, highly qualified scientists and well trained technical staff.

Chemical analyses are performed on environmental samples of a wide variety of matrices, including air, drinking water, groundwater, surface and waste water, sludge, soil, sediments, solid waste etc. PBR offers a complete package of water and soil quality analyses as required under the Federal as well as the Provincial regulations.

Water utilized in a variety of industrial processes can carry contaminants that are hazardous or toxic to human health and the environment. The contaminated water ends up in a variety of matrices such as surface water sources, ground water, industrial effluents, tailing ponds etc. PBR offers complete chemical and biological analyses of water for the detection and quantification of contaminants that can assist in the required remedial and control actions and hazard identification for risk assessment. We also provide required  microbiological and chemical  analyses of drinking or potable water as required to meet the Canadian Drinking Water  quality standards. A list of selected tests is given below:

1. pH, Alkalinity, Electrical conductivity, Turbidity, Cyanide
2. Major anions, cations and residual Chlorine
3. Total dissolved solids (TDS) and Total suspended solid (TSS)
4. Dissolved oxygen and Chemical Oxygen Demand
5. Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN)
6. Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
7. Petroleum Hydrocarbons from C⁶⁺

8. Glycols and alcohols; and
9. Metals

NOTE: For regulatory microbiological analysis of Drinking water Quality, please look for Water Microbiology  under Microbiology and Nutritional Labelling Services.

Soil is a complex matrix composed of innumerable microorganisms and chemical constituents. Soil quality is its capacity to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation. Soil quality impacts on maintaining biodiversity and productivity, partitioning water and solute flow, filtering and buffering, nutrient cycling, and providing support for plants and other structures. Soil Management is highly critical to maintain its quality. Some of the soil quality tests PBR offers are listed below. In addition, we offer any custom-designed testing package required by our clients.

1. pH, Alkalinity, Electrical conductivity, Cyanide
2. Major anions and cations
3. Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
4. Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR)
5. Nutrients (TK, TN, TP and TS)
6. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
7. Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons from C⁶⁺

8. Glycols and alcohols; and
9. Metals

NOTE: For Microbiological analysis of industrial and agricultural soil, please look for Soil microbiology under Microbiological/Nutritional Labelling services.

The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) and the Water act of the Government of Alberta form the legislative basis of Alberta Environment’s policies on the management of contaminated soil and ground water. EPEA provides the guidelines for Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) to establish the environmental quality of site soil and ground water in relation to a transfer of property or a site re-development activity. Phase II of ESA is performed to obtain quantitative analytical information regarding the nature and extent of contaminants of potential concern (CoPC). CoPC are site specific and based on the the nature of operating industry. PBR offers tests for the contaminants listed below:

1. pH changes
2. Metals
3. Nitrates, chloride, sulphur, cyanide
4. Glycols
5. PAHs, PHC, VOCs, BTX

Air quality of outdoor as well as indoor environment is greatly impacted by pollution generated through a variety of industrial emissions, diverse human activities and the contamination caused by mold and bacteria. Air quality indices (AQI) are numbers used by government agencies to characterize the quality of the air at a given location. As the AQI increases, an increasingly large percentage of the population is likely to experience increasingly severe adverse health effects. PBR’s services include the following air quality testing parameters including any additional test upon request of the client.

1. Total Hydrocarbon as Methane
2. Gases including CO, SO₂, CO₂, N₂ and O₂
3. Mold identification and enumeration.

Drilling waste disposal is regulated in Alberta under the current G-50 guidelines of Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (AEPEA). Alberta Government is committed to ensure that drilling waste disposal areas pose no risk to the environment. The drilling waste sample must be analyzed for any potential contaminants and toxicity. PBR offers analysis of contaminated waste as required under the regulation, which includes the following parameters:

1. Microtox for sump liquids - multi-concentration, EC50 test
2. Microtox for solid samples - multi-concentration, EC50 test on 1:1 water extract
3. Microtox - charcoal treated - multi-concentration, EC50 test for charcoal-treated - sump fluid in addition to an original microtox

1. Sump solids analysis - pH, EC, SAR, TDS, specific gravity, Major - ions (Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, K, SO₄)
2. Sump liquid analysis - pH, EC, TDS, major ions (Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, K, SO₄), and SAR
3. Soil salinity - pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, K, SO₄, SAR, % saturation
4. Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) (C⁶⁺)
5. VPH (Volatile Petroleum Hydrocarbon)
6. BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene and Xylene)
7. Metals

Monitoring and managing the levels of nutrients  and other physico-chemical characteristics of the soil is important in ensuring the soil fertility for improving the crop yield. Besides the macronutrients such as N, P and K, soils are also prone to deficiencies of micronutrients, like iron, zinc, manganese, etc. A thorough chemical analysis including the organic matter and evaluation of physical desired properties of the soil can help in optimizing nutrient inputs for increasing the crop or orchard yield. PBR provides the soil quality tests listed below:

We provide soil analysis for nutrients liste below:

Macronutrients
Nitrate, Ammonium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sulfate, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Chloride

Micronutrients
Iron, Zinc, Boron, Copper, Manganese

Physico-chemical Characteristics
pH, Electrical Conductivity, Organic Matter, and Texture

Compost, manure and fertilizers (organic and inorganic) are the main source for adding the required nutrients to the soil for enhancing its fertility. However, these products, particularly compost or manure and organic fertilizers, show considerable variation in their macro and micro nutrient levels as well as in their microbiological composition. A regular testing of these products can provide the user and the producer with valuable information on the nutrient content, presence of microbiological pathogens, product maturity and other characteristic properties. PBR offers the following analyses.

We offer following analyses for Physicochemical and Nutrient Profiling of Agricultural soil:

Electrical Conductivity, pH, SAR, Organic Matter, Ash, C/N Ratio, Foreign Matter, Particle Size Analysis, Total N, Nitrate, Ammonium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Total S, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Total Carbon, Iron, Zinc, Boron, Copper, Manganese