Rapid extraction of dissolved inorganic carbon from seawater and groundwater samples for radiocarbon dating
Name
801472568-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
6.99 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
b913043acd9cac9c56826c80949166f4
Author(s)
Gospodinova, Kalina Doneva
Advisor(s)
Ann McNichol.
Date Issued
2012
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The focus of this thesis is the design and development of a system for rapid extraction of dissolved inorganic carbon from seawater and groundwater samples for radiocarbon dating. The Rapid Extraction of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon System (REDICS) consists of two subsystems - one for sample introduction, acidification, and carbon dioxide extraction, and one for carbon dioxide quantification and storing. The first subsystem efficiently extracts the dissolved inorganic carbon from the water sample in the form of carbon dioxide by utilizing a gas-permeable polymer membrane contractor. The second subsystem traps, quantifies and stores the extracted gas using cryogenics. The extracted carbon dioxide is further processed for stable and radiocarbon isotope analysis at the National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometer Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The REDICS system was tested using seawater standards collected at 470m and 4000m depth in the Atlantic Ocean and analyzing the extracted CO₂. The results were compared to the results for the same standards processed on the current NOSAMS water stripping line. The results demonstrate that the system successfully extracts more than 99% of the dissolved inorganic carbon in less than 20 minutes. Stable isotope and radiocarbon isotope analyses demonstrated system precision of 0.02%c and 3.5% respectively.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-50).
Also available at http://hdl.handle.net/1912/5270
Subjects
Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering.
Mechanical Engineering.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
MIT Department
Joint Program in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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