Determining Biogenic Content of Biogas by Measuring Stable Isotopologues 12CH4, 13CH4, and CH3D with a Mid-Infrared Direct Absorption Laser Spectrometer

Abstract

A tunable laser absorption spectrometer (TLAS) was developed for the simultaneous measurement of δ13C and δD values of methane (CH4). A mid-infrared interband cascade laser (ICL) emitting around 3.27 µm was used to measure the absorption of the three most abundant isotopologues in CH4 with a single, mode-hop free current sweep. The instrument was validated against methane samples of fossil and biogenic origin with known isotopic composition. Three blended mixtures with varied biogenic content were prepared volumetrically, and their δ13C and δD values were determined. Analysis demonstrated that, provided the isotopic composition of the source materials was known, the δ13C and δD values alone were sufficient to determine the biogenic content of the blended samples to within 1.5%.

Keywords

• stable isotopologues
• biogas
• direct absorption
• biogenic determination
• bioprocess monitoring
• laser-based sensors