As specialists in carbon-14 analysis, CIRAM Laboratories use the ASTM D6866 standard to provide results that comply with regulations. Learn more today about how radiocarbon contributes to the analysis of biogas, as well as industrial stack gas.
The principle of radiocarbon analysis
Biogases consist mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These elements can be quantified through methods such as elemental analysis. However, it is impossible to distinguish whether a hydrogen or oxygen atom is of biogenic or fossil origin. This is possible, however, for carbon. Carbon-14 is unstable, so it decays over time. Its concentration is halved every 5,730 years; this is called a “half-life.” After 10 half-lives, carbon-14 has completely disappeared. Natural gas originates from the decomposition of organic materials over millions of years, far beyond the 10 half-lives of carbon-14, or approximately 60,000 years. Natural gas therefore no longer contains carbon-14. Conversely, current biomass has a full supply of carbon-14; this is referred to as “modern carbon.” Based on radiocarbon analysis, we quantify the proportion of bio-based or biogenic (modern) carbon and the proportion of fossil (ancient) carbon present in biogas.
Carbon-14 fume analysis
Depending on the fuel burned, chimney flue gases will contain varying amounts of biogenic CO2. CIRAM laboratories analyze the CO2 in chimney flue gases using radiocarbon dating in accordance 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.
