Radiocarbon Dating and Stable Isotopic Measurements of Methane

Radiogenic (¹⁴C) and stable isotopic (δ¹³C) measurements of methane (CH₄) carbon atoms provide means by which to investigate methane sources, fate, and cycling in a variety of ecosystems.

Isotopic investigations of CH₄ add insight into:

• General Methanogenesis (abiotic vs microbial)
• Geologic Formations (coal beds, trap gas, etc)
• Glacial Methane Gas (clathrate)
• Open vs Closed carbon methanogenic systems (mixing)
• Methane Source Tracking (landfill vs wetland vs pipeline)
• Soil Gases (ecosystem monitoring)
• Assigning Ecosystem Credits (carbon flux monitoring)
• Relational tool over time (changes to methanogenic systems)
• Post-formation reactions (oxidation effects)
• Optimization of biogas generation (feedstock analysis and product gas analysis)
• Methane derived Dissolved Organic Carbon (see ¹⁴C_DOC service)

Methane is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas that is produced by complicated biogeochemical reactions that take place in various environments. Stable and radiogenic isotopic testing of methane and associated gases provides means by which to investigate methane in a variety of scenarios, as outlined above.

Beta Analytic’s Methane Radiocarbon Dating Service

Beta Analytic can currently perform radiogenic (¹⁴C) and stable isotopic (δ¹³C) measurements on pure methane as well as mixed gas samples with methane concentrations as low as 2 % (v/v), 0.6 L sample size. See the list below for the types of samples Beta can analyze. 

• Bulk Gas (Total Carbon) 
• C1 Gases Combined (CH₄, CO₂, and CO)
• CH₄ isolated
• CO₂ associated gas, isolated
• CO isolated

Samples will be prescreened for gas composition using ASTM D7833 prior to isotopic analysis; the gas chromatography reports are available to the client upon request. 

Ready to submit samples for testing?

Contact your Account Manager or info@betalabservices.com to receive a Methane Dating questionnaire. A questionnaire must be completed, submitted, and approved by our laboratory team prior to submitting your sample.

Read our full guidelines here.

For questions and more information, please contact us at info@betalabservices.com.

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References:

1. Aelion, C. M., Höhener, P., Hunkeler, D., & Aravena, R. (2009). Environmental isotopes in biodegradation and bioremediation. CRC press.
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3. Garnett, M. H., Hardie, S. M., & Murray, C. (2020). Radiocarbon analysis reveals that vegetation facilitates the release of old methane in a temperate raised bog. Biogeochemistry, 148(1), 1-17.
4. Bezyk, Y., Górka, M., Kruszewski, Ł., Nęcki, J., Sówka, I., Jońca, J., … & Widory, D. (2024). Detecting and sourcing GHGs and atmospheric trace gases in a municipal waste treatment plant using coupled chemistry and isotope compositions. Waste management (New York, NY), 190, 382-397.
5. Kerfoot, H. B., Hagedorn, B., & Verwiel, M. (2013). Evaluation of the age of landfill gas methane in landfill gas–natural gas mixtures using co-occurring constituents. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 15(6), 1153-1161.
6. Hackley, K. C., Liu, C. L., & Coleman, D. D. (1996). Environmental isotope characteristics of landfill leachates and gases. Groundwater, 34(5), 827-836.
7. Coleman, D. D., Liu, C. L., Hackley, K. C., & Pelphrey, S. R. (1995). Isotopic identification of landfill methane. Environmental Geosciences, 2(2), 95-103.
8. de la Fuente, M. D. M., Narros, A., Sánchez, C., & Rodríguez, E. (2024). Quantification of methane oxidation measuring isotopic signal in 13C on Spanish landfills. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 15(9), 102198
9. Petrenko, V. V., Smith, A. M., Brailsford, G., Riedel, K., Hua, Q., Lowe, D., … & Brook, E. J. (2008). A new method for analyzing 14C of methane in ancient air extracted from glacial ice. Radiocarbon, 50(1), 53-73.
10. MOYA/ZWAMPS Team, Nisbet, E. G., Allen, G., Fisher, R. E., France, J. L., Lee, J. D., … & E. Wilde, S. (2022). Isotopic signatures of methane emissions from tropical fires, agriculture and wetlands: the MOYA and ZWAMPS flights. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, 380(2215), 20210112
11. Hodson, A. J., Nowak, A., Hornum, M. T., Senger, K., Redeker, K., Christiansen, H. H., … & Marca, A. (2020). Sub-permafrost methane seepage from open-system pingos in Svalbard. The Cryosphere, 14(11), 3829-3842.