An anaerobic chamber allows the investigation of reactive matter transport in laboratory scale also for anoxic or anaerobic environmental conditions. The chamber is operated with nitrogen or forming gas. The oxygen concentration can be regulated between 0 - 20%. For reaching oxygen concentrations below 0.5% a catalytic converter has to be instrumented and the chamber is operated with forming gas. A detachable front panel allows for the instrumentation with big experimental setups.

The Cultivation Lab focusses on aerobic and anaerobic enrichment and isolation of bacteria and archaea (microbial cultivation) as well as morphological, physiological and phylogenetic characterization. It covers simulation experiments and investigates adaptation to extremes.

Studying the subsurface life also encounters the quantification of total cell abundance. Imaging and optical analysis methods are used for this. In the Flow Cytometry Lab, samples are studied via fluorescence microscopy for the visualization of microorganisms by fluorescent labelling. Thereby, phase-contrast images are used for direct observation of microorganisms. Flow cytometry is applied for cell detection and sorting.

The microbiology-related work of our section is done in this lab, as it has the capabilities for preparing a wide range of media and sterile solutions though filtration, autoclaving or UV exposure. Two refrigerators are dedicated for culturing cryophilic and cryotolerant microbial species under different light exposures. Moreover, a circulating water bath allows the culture of microorganisms up to 40 °C. The lab is also equipped with Bunsen burners, a PCR chamber and a Class II Biological …

Optical microscopes are available in the Microscope Lab for different techniques, such as brightfield, polarization contrast, fluorescence.

We also have the FlowCam 5000 by Yokogawa, which is a particle analyzer capable of taking optical images. It is comparable to a flow cytometer and features a syringe pump and 100 x 700 µm glass capillary, where liquid passes through. During a sample run, images of the flow are taken with a camera, magnified with a 10x objective. Detected particles are …

The Molecular Microbiology Lab focuses on
I) DNA and RNA extraction, quantification and integrity applying protocols on commercial kits (physical and chemical cell lysis, silica column), phenol/chloroform extractions and extra- and intracellular separation (e/I DNA), and
II) microbiome diversity and abundance applying protocols on amplification and quantification of target genes via PCR and quantitative PCR, NGS library preparation as well as NGS sequencing.
Various sample types such …

The Omics Lab is currently equipped with all facilities to carry out DNA extractions, polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Current research includes the biodiversity and functions of cryophilic microbiomes with the focus on snow and ice algal communities.
The main equipment consists of a low temperature chamber and a real-time thermal PCR Cycler. The environmental chamber (Percival LT-36VL) allows to perform incubation at set chosen environmental parameters, or following …

Processes related to the solvents extraction of snow and ice algae or particles are conducted in the Organic Microbial Geochemistry Lab. These processes are done in combination with ultrasonic bath, shaking, and solid phase extraction. Evaporation of organic extracts using nitrogen or argon gas, as well as various intermediate steps such as milling, acidification and filtration are also carried out in this lab. The subsequent analysis is done with the Shimadzu Total Organic Carbon Analyzer …

In the Pore Water Geochemistry Lab pore water from sediment samples is extracted using a hydraulic press with Titanium extractors. Extremely small (µl) volumes of aqueous samples are analysed with ion chromatographs for inorganic ions, cations and organic acids and a photometer.

This lab is specialized on radioisotope tracer studies involving direct measurements of the turnover or incorporation of radioactively labelled compounds. The following radiotracer techniques are employed: measurement of sulfate reduction rate with ³⁵S radiotracer, methanogenesis rate with ¹⁴C radiotracer, and methane oxidation rate with ¹⁴C radiotracer. The laboratory equipment includes a distillation setup for reduced sulfur species, a high-pressure thermal gradient incubation system, a …