ASTM D6866, Beta Analytic » Radiocarbon Dating

ISO Develops Radiocarbon Dating-Based Standard for Stationary Sources Emissions

beta analytic — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:46:33 +0000

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is developing an air quality standard for the determination of the speciation of biogenic and fossil-derived carbon dioxide emissions from stationary sources. The standard, currently named ISO/NP 13833, includes radiocarbon or carbon 14 sampling and measurement.

Development of the ISO/NP 13833 started in July 2009. The committee responsible for its development is the Technical Committee 146/SC 1 chaired by Mr. Ente J. Sneek of the Netherlands. Mr. Sneek remains as chair of the committee until the end of 2010.

The ISO/NP 13833 is similar to ASTM D6866 in that both standards apply radiocarbon dating techniques. The former, however, is solely applicable to stationary combustion emissions sources. ASTM D6866, on the other hand, has a wide range of applicable samples – from CO2 gas and solid waste fuels to bioplastics and biofuels.

Source: ISO 13833

Vinçotte Requires Carbon 14 Analysis for OK Biobased Certification

beta analytic — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:01:28 +0000

Belgian inspection, testing, and certification body Vinçotte has launched the OK Biobased eco-label to help manufacturers of biobased products inform consumers that their goods are from biologically renewable sources. Products eligible for the OK biobased eco-label include those made, wholly or in part, from materials of natural origin. Applicants are required to submit carbon 14 analysis results of their products as proof of biobased content.

Products eligible for this Vinçotte eco-label exclude solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels. The OK Biobased eco-label is applicable to raw materials, intermediates, additives, and finished products. An OK Biobased certificate is valid for 3 years.

Biobased Content Measurement via Carbon Dating

Popularly known as an archaeological tool, radiocarbon dating can also be used to measure the biobased content of a material. A standard method called ASTM D6866 was developed precisely for this application. A product’s biobased content depends on how much renewable carbon or carbon 14 is present in it. Materials that came from renewable sources have well-characterized levels of carbon 14 in them whereas those of fossil origin no longer have carbon 14. Thus, an ASTM D6866 result is easily correlated to a product’s biobased content.

OK Biobased Star System

The OK Biobased logo features stars to indicate a product’s biobased content – the more stars, the higher the content that came from renewable sources. A product with a logo having one star has a biobased content between 20% and 40%, two stars if between 40% and 60%, three stars if between 60% and 80%, and four stars if more than 80%.

Products must have at least 30% organic carbon and be at least 20% biobased to carry the logo. Biobased content measurement is done via ASTM D6866, and organic carbon fraction is measured according to Vinçotte’s TS-OK20.

For more information, visit www.okbiobased.be.

US EPA Includes ASTM D6866 in Proposed Mandatory Reporting Rule

beta analytic — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:12:23 +0000

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends ASTM D6866 as the standard for the determination of biogenic CO2 from municipal solid wastes used as fuel combustion source.

Companies will be required to report their greenhouse gas inventories. According to the the EPA, carbon dioxide emissions from the combustion of biogenic fuels shall be excluded from the calculations of GHG inventories. Hence, there is a need for companies to quantify biogenic carbon dioxide so they can subtract this from their GHG inventories – which should only account for emissions from fossil fuel-based inputs.

ASTM D6866 and Municipal Solid Wastes

The EPA mandates that plants with units that combust MSW should use ASTM Methods D6866-06a and D7459-08 to determine the relative proportions of biogenic and non-biogenic CO2 emissions.

The ASTM D6866-06a analysis will also be performed at least once in every calendar quarter in which MSW is combusted in the unit. Each gas sample shall be taken using ASTM D7459-08, during normal unit operating conditions while MSW is the only fuel being combusted, for at least 24 consecutive hours or for as long as is necessary to obtain a sample large enough to meet the specifications of ASTM D6866-06a.

According to the US EPA website, the proposed rule was signed by the Administrator on March 10, 2009 and will be published in the Federal Register (www.regulations.gov) under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0508. The public comment period is open for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

Beta Analytic to Present During the First International Greenhouse Gas Measurement Symposium

admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:25:12 +0000

ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic will present about ASTM D6866 during the First International Greenhouse Gas Measurement Symposium to be held in Burlingame, California, from March 22 to March 25, 2009. Beta is the world’s largest professional radiocarbon dating services provider.

Beta representative Mauricio Larenas will talk about how ASTM D6866 can determine the biomass content of greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Larenas will also discuss the relevance of this method to industries that are required to report and verify their biogenic carbon dioxide emissions. During his presentation, he will also talk about the status of ASTM D6866 in the U.S. and Europe with respect to regulations.

ASTM D6866 has been incorporated in the greenhouse gas reporting regulations of California’s Air Resources Board (AB32), The Climate Registry, the Western Climate Initiative, and the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, among others.

During the symposium, Air & Waste Management Association members and industry experts will discuss greenhouse gas measurement and monitoring as well as the technology needed to create accurate monitoring systems for local, regional, national, and international climate change programs.

There will also be exhibits on March 22 and March 23 contemporaneous with the symposium.

Western Climate Initiative Recommends ASTM D6866

beta analytic — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:24:19 +0000

In the third draft of its essential requirements of mandatory reporting, the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) has identified ASTM D6866 as the standard method for measuring biogenic CO2 emissions from general stationary fuel combustion sources.

According to the WCI document, operators of plants that combust fuels or mixed fuels that contain biomass shall determine the biomass-derived fraction of their CO2 emissions using ASTM D6866.

Plant operators are obligated to conduct ASTM D6866 analysis at least every three months. Gas samples are to be collected during normal operating conditions for at least more than 24 hours.

Plant operators that use fuels with less than 5% biomass by weight or those that use refuse-derived fuels that are less than 30% biomass by weight on an annual basis are not required to determine their biogenic CO2 emissions via ASTM D6866.

The Background Document and Progress Report for Essential Requirements of Mandatory Reporting (third draft) was published in January 2009 with updates to be released later this year. According to the WCI’s Work Plan for 2009-2010, the following updates are expected:

June 2009 – Changes in reporting essential requirements, based on comments received from stakeholders in the first quarter of 2009

July 2009 – Documentation of reporting essential requirements pertaining to oil and gas exploration and gas processing POR, and GHG emissions quantification and monitoring method

December 2009 – (1) Documentation of reporting essential requirements pertaining to natural gas transmission and distribution, (2) Development of GHG emission factors and quantification methods

June 2010 – (1) Documentation of reporting essential requirements pertaining to transportation and RCI fuels, (2) Defining acceptable level of accuracy of quantification and monitoring methods.

Western Climate Initiative

Launched in February 2007, the WCI is composed of seven states in the U.S. and four Canadian provinces that aim to identify, evaluate, and implement ways to reduce greenhouse gases in the region, focusing on a market-based cap-and-trade system. The WCI partners are Arizona, British Columbia, California, Manitoba, Montana, New Mexico, Ontario, Oregon, Quebec, Utah, and Washington.

EU-ETS Endorses ASTM D6866 and CEN 15747

beta analytic — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:41:54 +0000

The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme uses CEN 15747 to monitor refuse-derived fuels and allows the use of ASTM D6866 to monitor various types of heterogeneous fuels.

Under the EU ETS, large emitters of carbon dioxide within the European Union must monitor and annually report their carbon dioxide emissions.

In its FAQ section, the EU ETS recommended using ASTM D6866 to determine the biomass fractions of fuels and other materials until relevant CEN standards are published.

CEN, or Comite Europeen de Normalisation (European Committee for Standardization), develops standards and other technical specifications that become the national standards in each of the EU’s 30 member-countries.

Regarded as the equivalent of ASTM D6866 in Europe, the CEN 15747 technical standard was published by the CEN in 2008 specifically for the biomass content analysis of solid recovered fuels through carbon 14 analysis.

California AB32 Uses ASTM D6866

beta analytic — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:40:28 +0000

The California Air Resources Board has incorporated ASTM D6866 in its mandatory reporting regulation for greenhouse gas emissions. ASTM D6866 is the standard method for determining carbon-neutral CO2 emissions from general stationary combustion facilities, cement plants, and electric plants.

The greenhouse gas reporting regulation is part of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, better known as Assembly Bill 32 or AB32, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and below 1990 levels by 2050.

AB32 requires cement plants, the electricity sector, cogeneration, petroleum refineries, hydrogen plants, and general stationary combustion facilities operating in California to report and verify their greenhouse gas emissions.

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Resources Board has approved the mandatory reporting regulation in December 2007. The regulation took effect beginning December 2008.

Beta Public Comment: Biodiesel, Glycerol, and the Renewables Obligation

admin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:15 +0000

Beta Analytic submitted a public comment regarding OFGEM’s consultation document on biodiesel and glycerol.

Pertinent excerpts are:

Chapter 1, Question 2: Can any further evidence be provided to show that the source of the transferred hydrogen atoms within the glycerol cannot come from the methane used in the manufacture of the methanol?

Beta: We believe that this would not be possible. On the other hand, we believe that radiocarbon dating can be used to determine whether the glycerol is derived from fossil fuels, such as methanol made from fossil fuel methane. By analyzing the carbon atoms via radiocarbon dating of both the biodiesel and the glycerol produced in the manufacturing process, one can easily determine whether glycerol might be coming from fossil fuel-derived methane.

Radiocarbon dating is regularly used to determine the biomass percentage of biofuels such as biodiesel. Consequently, there is no reason why this method cannot be used to address whether glycerol is made from fossil fuel components. In fact, radiocarbon dating has been standardized as an analytical method called ASTM D6866 precisely for this type of determination.

Radiocarbon dating has been used for decades for dating archaeological artifacts. The same principles of dating (i.e. analysis of the carbon 14 atom) can also be used to measure the biomass component of materials. In effect, biomass contains a well characterized amount of carbon 14 that is easily distinguished from other materials such as fossil fuels that do not contain any carbon 14. Since the amount of carbon 14 in biomass is well known, a percentage of biomass carbon can be calculated easily from the overall carbon atoms in the sample.

Although ASTM D6866 is now used throughout the world to measure biomass carbon, the origins of the method are American. It was written at the request of the USDA to satisfy legislation requiring Federal agencies to give preferred procurement to manufacturers using the greatest amount of biomass in their products (per the Farm Security and Rural Investment act of 2002). It was quickly established that radiocarbon dating was the only viable accurate technique to make the determination of the biomass percentage. A working standard of radiocarbon dating for industrial use was completed in 2004 and is now cited in US Federal Law (7 CFR part 2902).

Our firm, Beta Analytic, has been in direct contact for the past year and half with OFGEM with regard to their Renewable Obligation Certificate program for Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power plants. A study was commissioned on behalf of OFGEM by the Renewable Energy Association, with Beta Analytic, Columbia University and Fichtner’s participation to demonstrate the viability of radiocarbon dating for determining the biomass fraction of materials.

The study clearly shows that radiocarbon can accurately determine the biomass fraction of different materials. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that radiocarbon dating can be used to determine the energy produced from biomass. The same principles and findings in this report can be used to bolster the use of radiocarbon dating as a viable analytical method for verifying the biomass fraction of biodiesel and glycerol.

There are many other research articles similar to this one on the use of radiocarbon dating for biofuels.

Radiocarbon Dating: A Monitoring Tool for Biofuel Blends

admin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:37:19 +0000

Beginning 2008, the Biofuels Sales Obligation of New Zealand requires companies that sell petrol or diesel to sell biofuels as well. Thus there was a need for the government agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to come up with a monitoring procedure to check if the producers’ claim of biofuel percentages is indeed correct.

In 2007, the Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory of GNS Science was tasked by the EECA to develop an appropriate monitoring procedure to verify producers’ claims of biofuel percentages. The lab developed a method through carbon 14 analysis of the bioblends.

The lab was able to establish that radiocarbon dating is an effective method to determine the presence of modern biological components in a biofuel blend. The procedure is applicable to all two-component fuel mix samples where one component is from fossil sources while the other is from recent plant or animal sources. The method has been validated with an accuracy of ±0.5%.

Testing the Accuracy of Retail Biodiesel Blends via Radiocarbon Dating

admin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:04:57 +0000

Christopher M. Reddy, et al developed and validated a radiocarbon-based method that can check the accuracy of retail biodiesel blends. The method, which directly quantifies the biogenic carbon in the biodiesel blends, calculates absolute blend content with ±1% accuracy while accounting for real-world variability in all of the input parameters.

Using their method, the researchers found out that only one out of ten samples collected from retailers in 2006 passed the specifications that the U.S. Department of Defense requires for blends that are 20% biodiesel (B20 blends).

The study, Determination of Biodiesel Blending Percentages Using Natural Abundance Radiocarbon Analysis: Testing the Accuracy of Retail Biodiesel Blends, was published in Environmental Science & Technology in February 2008.