Carbon-LIBS project aims to develop a laser-based measurement method that enable comprehensive monitoring of soil carbon content. Soil is the second largest carbon storage on earth and, thus, a significant part of carbon circulation. The new carbon measurement approach using Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) has the potential to provide the essential information on absolute carbon content and its changes in soil. The compact field-capable method can operate directly on a soil drill sample being a fast way to determine the 3D carbon distribution of the soil under, e.g., a crop field.
The basis of LIBS analysis is the elemental characteristic radiation emitted by a plasma plume created with a pulsed laser beam on the surface of a sample. LIBS has been broadly utilized in different applications as it enables simultaneous sensitive and selective online monitoring of multiple elements with a simple and robust measurement arrangement. In the first phase of the project, the behaviour of a laser-induced plasma plume is studied in laboratory conditions on different types of soils. Later on, the method is demonstrated with field measurements.
The information on carbon content and behaviour in soils aids the development of novel soil cultivation and farming approaches and, on the other hand, development of the global climate models. Direct soil carbon monitoring also enables incentivising of carbon farming by subsidies and through attachment of soil carbon sequestration to carbon markets.
Duration: 2021-2023
Funding: The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, Catch the Carbon development project
