Increasing sustainability at the EPR NRF
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
The National Research Facility (NRF) for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy supports research on paramagnetic systems for UK academia and industry and has many international collaborations. EPR is used widely across chemistry, physics, materials, biological and medical sciences.
Challenge -
to develop best practice in terms of sustainability of new and/or existing multi-user research infrastructure and engage with the wider research community to ensure the broader adoption of sustainable practices.
Challenge -
to develop best practice in terms of sustainability of new and/or existing multi-user research infrastructure and engage with the wider research community to ensure the broader adoption of sustainable practices.
Organisations
Publications
Lister-Roberts R
(2026)
Crystalline nitrogen chain radical anions.
in Nature chemistry
Martins DOTA
(2026)
Investigation of Hyperfine Interactions in Molecular Spin Qubits Constructed from A Nitronyl-Nitroxide Ligand and Transition Metal Ions.
in Inorganic chemistry
Tarvydyte U
(2025)
Pushing the sensitivity boundaries of X-band EPR cryoprobe using a fast microwave switch
in Journal of Magnetic Resonance Open
Zhu Z
(2026)
Ruthenium-Loaded Heteroatomic Zeolite for Selective Hydrodeoxygenation Reaction in Aqueous Medium.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
| Description | A first publication is in press regarding the key goal of the grant - an environmental sustainability assessment of the operations of a National Research Facility. This followed collection of a year's worth of data of all consumables, power consumption, etc in the day-to-day potation of the facility and analysis of the data to find key sustainability "hotspots". The paper is entitled "Embedding Life Cycle Thinking in a National Research Facility (NRF): Towards a Circular and Sustainable Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Infrastructure" and will appear in print in 2026. (DOI is not yet available.) |
| Exploitation Route | By identifying environmental hotspots in daily operations of a large multi-user laboratory, and in best-practice in mitigating the effects. |
| Sectors | Chemicals Education Energy Environment |
| Description | European Federation of EPR Groups Summer School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Ca. 150 young researchers, primarily from Europe, attended the week-long workshop in Manchester. The workshop covered theory and practical aspects of EPR spectroscopies, delivered by ca. 25 international experts including the staff associated with the NRF. Several attendees took advantage of the workshop to look at environmental sustainability operations in the NRF, particularly the closed-system cryostats that are used for sample cooling. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://www.chemistry.manchester.ac.uk/epr/connect/events/ |