Measuring the Effect of Fuel Chemical Structure on Particulate and Gaseous Emissions using Isotope Tracing

Using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), a technique initially developed for radiocarbon dating and recently applied to internal combustion engines, carbon atoms within specific fuel molecules can be labeled and followed in particulate or gaseous emissions. In addition to examining the effect of fuel chemical structure on emissions, the specific source of carbon for PM can be identified if an isotope label exists in the appropriate fuel source. Existing work has focused on diesel engines, but the samples (soot collected on quartz filters or combustion gases captured in bombs or bags) are readily collected from large industrial combustors as well