A rapid method for preparing low volume CH4 and CO2 gas samples for 14C AMS analysis

¹⁴C measurements of CH₄ in environmental samples (e.g. soil gas, lake water, gas hydrates) can advance understanding of C cycling in terrestrial and marine systems. The measurements are particularly useful for detecting the release of old C from climate sensitive environments such as peatlands and hydrate fields. However, because ¹⁴C CH₄ measurements tend to be complex and time consuming, they are uncommon. Here, we describe a novel vacuum line system for the preparation of CH₄ and CO₂ from environmental samples for ¹⁴C analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The vacuum line is a flow-through system that allows rapid preparation of samples (1 h for CH₄ and CO₂, 30 min for CH₄ alone), complete separation of CH₄ and CO₂ and is an easy addition to multipurpose CO₂ vacuum lines already in use. We evaluated the line using CH₄ and CO₂ standards with different ¹⁴C content. For CH₄ and CO₂, respectively, the total line blank was 0.4 ± 0.2 and 1.4 ± 0.6 μg C, the ¹⁴C background 51.1 ± 1.2 and 48.4 ± 1.5 kyr and the precision (based on pooled standard deviation) 0.9‰ and 1.3‰. The line was designed for sample volumes of ca. 180 ml containing 0.5–1% CH₄ and CO₂, but can be adjusted to handle lower concentration and larger volume samples. This rapid and convenient method for the preparation of CH₄ and CO₂ in environmental samples for ¹⁴C AMS analysis should provide more opportunities for the use of ¹⁴C CH₄ measurements in C cycle studies.