Biography

Carolyn M. Nyberg is a Senior Analytical Chemist and ARL/FMRL Team Lead at the EERC, where she oversees sample analysis and methods development; schedules laboratory staff workloads; writes laboratory standard operating procedures; prepares research proposals, reports, and scientific publications; and coordinates the financial aspects and contractual obligations of the Analytical Research Laboratory (ARL) and Fuels and Materials Research Laboratory (FMRL). Her principal areas of interest and expertise include sample digestion (salt fusion, microwave, and hot block metals digestion) and instrumental analysis (ICP–AES, GFAAS, HGAAS, and CVAAS) of coal, coal by-products, biomass, soils, sediments, and produced waters as well as leaching characterization of various materials for environmental impacts. Ms. Nyberg’s research experience includes sample preparation and analytical methods development for determining rare earth elements and other trace elements in various matrices including coal, sediment, fly ash, and produced water; emission sampling and analysis of hazardous air pollutants using EPA Method 29; nickel speciation of residual oil fly ash; verification and implementation of the OH method for Hg speciation for various emission-testing programs; and leaching characterization of coal conversion solid residues (CCSRs) and oil and gas production drill cuttings for environmental impact. Ms. Nyberg received a B.S. degree in Biology, with a Chemistry minor, and a B.S.Ed. degree in Science from UND. Prior to her position at the EERC, she served as a Laboratory Technician in the UND Biology Department and as a Soil Technician at Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories. She is a member of the ASTM and ISO committees for coal, coal by-products, and biofuels and has participated in several interlaboratory round-robin studies to evaluate the precision and bias of newly published methods. She has authored or coauthored numerous publications.