Measuring % Biogenic Carbon versus % Fossil Carbon of carbon dioxide emissions and waste fuels.
Request PricingBiogenic means containing carbon (organic and inorganic) of renewable origin like agricultural, plant, animal, fungi, microorganisms, macroorganisms, marine, or forestry materials, according to the ASTM D6866 analytical standard.
Biogenic carbon testing applies to waste fuels and stack gas carbon dioxide (CO2).
Waste-derived fuels have biomass-derived portions (e.g. paper, wood) and fossil-based components (e.g. plastics). Examples of waste-derived fuels include municipal solid waste (MSW), refuse-derived fuel (RDF), tire-derived fuel (TDF) and sewage sludge.
Carbon-14 is only present in living or recently expired material, while petroleum does not contain any C14. Most of the tested materials are a mixture of present-day Carbon-14 and fossil carbon. The ratio of the amount of Carbon-14 in the unknown sample to that of a modern reference standard is reported as “percent Modern Carbon (pMC). From this value, the biogenic carbon content can be determined. Carbon-14 testing using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is the most effective method to determine the biogenic carbon content.
Page last updated: January 2024