Stable Isotope Analysis of Greenhouse Gases Requires Analyte Preconcentration

Authors

  • Kristýna Kantnerová Laboratory for Air Pollution / Environmental Technology, Empa, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; Geological Institute, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland; Sustainable Agroecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland; University of Colorado Boulder, Geological Sciences, 2200 Colorado Ave, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6259-3225
  • Matti Barthel Sustainable Agroecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
  • Johan Six Sustainable Agroecosystems, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9336-4185
  • Lukas Emmenegger Laboratory for Air Pollution / Environmental Technology, Empa, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9812-3986
  • Stefano M. Bernasconi Geological Institute, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7672-8856
  • Joachim Mohn Laboratory for Air Pollution / Environmental Technology, Empa, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9799-1001

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2022.656

PMID:

38071632

Keywords:

Clumped isotopes, Isotope analysis, Laser spectroscopy, Nitrous oxide, Preconcentration

Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important trace gas contributing to global warming and depletion of ozone in the stratosphere. Its increasing abundance is caused mainly by anthropogenic sources, such as application of fertilizers in agriculture or emissions from industry. To understand the N2O global budget, its sources and sinks need to be well-described and quantified. In this project, a new method for N2O source appointment was developed that can help with this task. The method is based on analysis of the eight most abundant isotopic molecules of N2O, using quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS). The applicability of the method towards the N2O biogeochemical cycle was demonstrated on a prominent N2O source (bacterial denitrification) and the most important N2O sink (UV photolysis) on samples prepared in laboratory experiments. An extension of the QCLAS method to natural samples can be achieved by hyphenation with a preconcentration technique that increases concentration of the analyte and standardizes the sample matrix. This article provides an overview of currently applied preconcentration techniques in the field of greenhouse-gas analysis and a description of the preconcentration device TREX that will be employed in future projects with the developed QCLAS method.

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Published

2022-08-24

How to Cite

[1]
K. Kantnerová, M. Barthel, J. Six, L. Emmenegger, S. M. Bernasconi, J. Mohn, Chimia 2022, 76, 656, DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2022.656.