Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has unveiled a $6.5 million suite of laboratories in Adelaide designed to sharpen the nation’s ability to track environmental contamination and measure the replenishment of groundwater, amid mounting pressures from climate change and drought.
Located at CSIRO’s Waite Campus, the facilities comprise an Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ICR) laboratory for ultra‑high‑resolution chemical analysis and a Tritium Facility via INgrowth (TRIFIN) to determine how quickly aquifers are recharged. CSIRO says the technologies are the first of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere focused on environmental research.
“Australia is one of the driest continents on Earth, and we are facing increasing challenges from climate change, drought and environmental contamination,” Dr Dan Metcalfe, CSIRO Environment Research Director, said. “These new lab facilities are a significant investment in research and analytical capabilities that will accelerate Australia’s ability to safeguard water security, manage resources sustainability, and protect the environment from forever chemicals.”
The $4 million ICR facility, funded by CSIRO, houses one of the most powerful mass spectrometry instruments available, capable of detecting up to tens of thousands of chemicals in a single sample across water, soil, waste and food. CSIRO says it will act as an early warning system for pollution such as PFAS and pharmaceuticals, help pinpoint the source of contamination, guide the management of pollutants including plastic waste and bushfire ash, and inform remediation strategies to protect human and environmental health.
“Dr Robert Young, CSIRO Senior Research Scientist, likened the findings to a chemical ‘fingerprint’ that can provide incredibly detailed chemical profiles for the early discovery of contaminants and pollutants, carbon storage and carbon cycling.” “Our technology can reveal the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment, to inform remediation solutions,” Dr Young said. “This can significantly help with identifying and managing environmental issues, such as chemical spills, toxins and waste management. “Understanding carbon in soils can also help us better understand climate change and mitigation solutions to prevent impacts to the environment.”
The $2.5 million TRIFIN facility, supported by CSIRO and the Science and Industry Endowment Fund, is geared to detect minute traces of tritium—a rare, naturally occurring radioactive isotope of hydrogen—in groundwater. By revealing whether water has been replenished within the past 50 years, the automated system provides faster, reliable “fingerprints” of groundwater age to support sustainable use across irrigation, town water supplies, mining and energy.
Groundwater accounts for about 30 per cent of Australia’s total water consumption and underpins many regional communities, industries and ecosystems. “Groundwater can take years, decades, or even centuries to millennia to replenish. However, groundwater contained in aquifers that contains tritium is likely only years or decades old,” Dr Dirk Mallants, CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist, said. “Our technology can detect very low levels of tritium in groundwater to tell us how quickly it is being replenished. “This new technology means Australia’s groundwater resources can be managed to build resilience against climate impacts, while supporting a net zero future for Australia across agriculture, hydrogen and critical minerals, through better management of groundwater resources.”
CSIRO says the new capabilities will strengthen national efforts in environmental assessment and management, support more sustainable industries, and help prevent long‑term contamination legacies.
