What is ASTM D6866 ?

ASTM D6866 Monitoring and Verification tool for carbon credit and carbon offsetting strategies.

Principles Behind ASTM D6866

Natural levels of radiocarbon in organic materials are used to derive the result. No "radioactivity" as defined by regulatory bodies is utilized in the analysis. Carbon-14, a naturally occurring element in all living tissues is present in a defined level of 100% in contemporary biomass and is absent (0 %) in fossil fuels. The method uses this difference to determine the amount of biomass CO₂ vs. fossil CO₂ present in the bulk CO₂ (or methane) effluent derived from combustion and bacteriological sources.¹ As an example, a result of 50% biomass carbon will be obtained on the CO₂ effluent from a co-firing plant burning 50% straw and 50% coal. This 50% can be directly subtracted from the greenhouse gas inventory for this facility.

Simple and Accurate Method

A true running average of carbon-neutral CO₂ emission vs fossil CO₂² emission is obtained by connecting a continuous gas flow controller to the exhaust port of existing CEMS.

As the feed-stock of a co-firing plant varies over the course of a month, all variations pertaining to biomass carbon and fossil carbon are accounted for in a single result (representing the average of both components represented in the CO₂ effluent).

Cutting, sorting and weighing of mixed fuel is not needed for determination of greenhouse gas vs. carbon-neutral gas emissions.

This "back-end" approach provides a result indicating "what was done" rather than complicated estimates based on "what we think we did" derived from the font-end approach.

The Institute of Clean Air Companies (ICAC) has examined and recognized the role which ASTM D6866 plays in GHG testing. Click Here

Recommended by Regulatory Bodies

Since a single percentage value is universally applicable to all measurements, both regulatory and financial bodies are provided with a single reference for use in comparative monitoring and trading.

Studies are under way to test the applicability of the result to gross-califoric value (energy/heat). Pilot studies are in the planning stages with the Renewable Energy Association in the UK and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the US.

The method is presently under consideration by the UK body OFGEM, The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative of the Northeastern states of the US, the Voluntary Carbon Standard, various US state Renewable Portfolio Standard programs (requiring electricity plants to generate a minimum percentage energy from renewable sources) and is incorporated in CEN technical specifications (CEN 15591:2007) chartered to satisfy requirements of the EU's emissions trading directive.

1. Mook, W. G. The Effect of Fossil Fuel and Biogenic CO, on the 13C and 14C Content of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. RADIOCARBON, VOL 22, No. 2, 1980, P 392-397.

2. SrdoZ, Dugan; Ahel, Nada Marijan; Giger, Walter; Schaffner, Christian; Bronid, Ines Krajcar; Petricioli, Don at; Pezdie, Jofe; Marcenko, Elena; Plenkovie-Moraj, Andjelka. Anthropogenic Influence on the 14C Activity and Other Constituents of Recent Lake Sediments: A Case Study. RADIOCARBON, VOL. 34, No. 3, 1992, P. 585-592.