The new sample preparation line for radiocarbon measurements on atmospheric aerosol at LABEC

Radiocarbon measurements on the carbonaceous aerosol fractions have been demonstrated as an effective tool for aerosol source apportionment. For these measurements, a new sample preparation facility was installed at the INFN-LABEC laboratory of Florence (Italy). The line was designed to allow the preparation of samples from different carbonaceous fractions: the combustion of the aerosol samples can be performed in helium or oxygen flows, according to thermal sequences. The evolved CO(2) is cryogenically trapped and reduced to graphite, which is the target material for following Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) (14)C measurements. This preparation line is described in detail in the paper. As a first step, the line was tested by means of AMS measurements performed on standards to check the reproducibility and the accuracy of the system; moreover, preliminary measurements on the total carbon fraction in aerosol samples were made. Results of these measurements are also reported.