Specialists in carbon-14 analysis, CIRAM laboratories use the ASTM D6866 standard to deliver results that comply with regulations. Discover how radiocarbon can be used to analyze biogas, as well as industrial chimney fumes.
The principle of radiocarbon analysis
Biogas mainly contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. These elements can be quantified by elemental analysis, for example. But it is impossible to distinguish the biogenic or fossil origin of a hydrogen or oxygen atom. However, it is possible to do so for carbon. The 14 isotope of carbon is unstable, so it changes over time. Its concentration is halved every 5,730 years, a process known as "half-life". After 10 periods, carbon 14 has completely disappeared. Natural gas comes from the decomposition of organic materials over millions of years, well beyond the 10 periods of carbon 14, i.e. around 60,000 years. Natural gas therefore no longer contains any carbon 14. Conversely, today's biomass has a full reserve of carbon-14, known as "modern carbon". Radiocarbon analysis is used to quantify the proportion of biosourced or biogenic carbon (modern) and fossil carbon (ancient) present in biogas.
Carbon-14 fume analysis
Depending on the fuel burned, chimney flue gases will contain more or less biogenic CO2. CIRAM laboratories carry out radiocarbon analysis of chimney smoke CO2 in compliance with ASTM D6866.
By measuring carbon-14 concentration, CIRAM determines the percentage of biogenic carbon in relation to carbon of fossil origin. Two types of carbon are distinguished with :
- Materials containing biogenic carbon (rich in carbon 14). This includes wood, paper and biomass of animal or plant origin.
- Materials containing fossil carbon (low in carbon 14), i.e. coal, oil or natural gas.
Measurements can be taken directly on a smoke sample collected at the chimney outlet. CIRAM laboratories use special bags to collect CO2 on site. Fine particles can also be sampled from filters installed on industrial chimneys.
A system dedicated to biogas and flue gas analysis thanks to CIRAM laboratories
CIRAM has developed a dedicated system for biogas and flue gas analysis. This system is directly connected to the automatic graphitizer. The gas is not injected into the elemental analyzer, as it is for solids and liquids, but passes through a "sulfur trap". It is vital to trap the sulfur before graphitization, as sulfur is a graphitization inhibitor. The gas, once purified, will be transformed into graphite (pure carbon) by the graphitizer.
Note that this system does not provide elemental concentration or stable isotopic information, as the gas is injected directly into the graphitizer without passing through the EA-IRMS.
CIRAM laboratories, specialists in carbon-14 dating
CIRAM laboratories take radiocarbon measurements of your biofuel samples in general, and biogas samples in particular, as well as industrial flue gases to determine the percentage of biogenic material they contain.
Carbon-14 analysis is possible not only on gas, but also on liquids and solids. CIRAM complies with the ASTM D6866 standard for the study of your biogas, in order to provide you with reliable and precise expertise.
ASTM D6866 is the reference standard for the analysis of biofuels and biogas using the carbon-14 technique. Our engineers interpret the results in the laboratory, and provide full results within 10 working days.
