T04_P08
A new automatic sample preparation line for radiocarbon measurements on the carbonaceous fractions of atmospheric aerosol
Crova F1, Barone S2,3, Calzolai G2, Chiari M2, Fedi M2, Forello A1,3, Liccioli L2, Lucarelli F2,3, Massabò D4, Nava S2,3, Prati P4, Valentini S1, Valli G1, Vecchi R1, Bernardoni V1
1Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Milano, and INFN-Milano, Milan, Italy, 2INFN-Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy, 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy, 4Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Genova, and INFN-Genova, Genoa, Italy
Radiocarbon measurements on organic and elemental carbon fractions are a powerful tool for separating the contribution due to fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning and natural sources to the emission of carbonaceous aerosols in the atmosphere [Szidat et al., 2006].
At INFN-LABEC in Florence, radiocarbon measurements on separated carbon fractions have been so far performed exploiting proper thermal protocols and a dedicated sample preparation line, which however is entirely manually operated and suitable for samples of about 200 μgC [Bernardoni et al., 2013; Calzolai et al., 2011].
Recent developments at LABEC now allow the ¹⁴C-AMS measurements of significantly smaller samples (about 50 μgC) mainly thanks to a new graphitization line [Fedi et al., 2020]. Following this experience, a new sample preparation line dedicated to atmospheric aerosol samples was designed and realised as part of the INFN-ISPIRA experiment (Integration of experimental methodologies for carbonaceous aerosol research) in Milan. The line scheme remains unchanged, but innovative elements allow the preparation of small-size samples in a partially automatic way, thanks to the automatic switch of combustion gas (He/Oxygen) and temperature ramps control in the different combustion phases, and the automatic maintenance of the temperature inside the cold traps for the CO₂ purification and collection. Thanks to these upgrades a higher number of samples will be prepared, and smaller samples (e.g., collected with higher temporal resolution or at remote sites) will be analysable, thus allowing to obtain more representative data.
The poster will present the features of the new experimental setup and the first tests.