Rapid Extraction of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon System

We have developed a new system to efficiently extract dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from seawater and groundwater samples. REDICS uses a gas-permeable polymer membrane contractor to extract the DIC from an acidified water sample in the form of carbon dioxide (CO₂), introduce it to a helium gas stream, cryogenically isolate it, and store it for stable and radiocarbon isotope analysis.

The system offers fast DIC extraction, streamlined analysis, and minimized set-up and prep time. It has been tested and validated by analyzing a series of sodium carbonate, seawater, and groundwater standards as well as a water column profile from the Sargasso Sea. The stable isotope and radiocarbon isotope results demonstrate great system precision and accuracy (Gospodinova et al., 2015). Presently, the system is being upgraded and expanded to allow for the automated processing of 10 water samples.