STTR Phase I: Soil Carbon Monitor

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I Project concerns the development of field-based analytical instrumentation for the determination of carbon content in soil. The instrumentation will employ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy utilizing detection of atomic carbon ultraviolet emission. The work plan will focus on a proof-of-principle demonstration using standard soil samples as reference materials. Samples of unknown composition will then be analyzed using the proposed technology. Estimates of precision and accuracy will be determined and compared with values obtained using conventional combustion-based analytical techniques. An economical field-ready instrument will also be designed. Significant amounts of carbon are deposited in the soil by biological activity and, as such, might offer a means of mitigating the effects of anthropomorphically produced carbon dioxide. The resulting need to acquire more accurate terrestrial carbon inventories and measure fluxes will require orders of magnitude more measurements than can be delivered economically using current technology. This project will attempt to develop an economical means of providing such measurements.