NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., July 7 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've developed an ultra-sensitive laser-assisted ratio analyzer -- LARA -- that can measure slight changes in carbon-14.
Carbon offsets increasingly are becoming a major component in the effort to reduce global warming, the Rutgers University researchers said. And as more organizations and businesses start trading in carbon offsets, the need for accurate measurements of carbon emissions is becoming critically important.
Now scientists led by Professor Daniel Murnick, researcher Ozgur Dogru and graduate student Erhan Ilkmen say their newly developed analyzer can measure small changes in C-14 to better determine how much carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere from fossil fuel burning.
Additionally, they said the technology opens the possibility of using non-therapeutic microdoses in drug research processes, along with expanding carbon-dating capabilities.
Rutgers has applied for a patent for the LARA technology.
The research is reported in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
