Comparison of 14C Collected by Precipitation and Gas-Strip Methods for Dating Groundwater

Abstract

AbstractDissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in groundwater is used to estimate the residence time based on radiocarbon concentration. DIC is usually extracted by a gas-strip or precipitation (SrCO3 or BaCO3) method. In this study, the gas-strip and precipitation methods of DIC were applied to both artificially prepared NaHCO3 solutions and natural groundwater to estimate the certainty of the two methods for 14C dating. 14C values obtained by the gas-strip method for NaHCO3 solutions with distinct salinity, DIC, and 14C concentrations were close to the theoretically predicted 14C value based on the 14C value of NaHCO3 powder. Conversely, the 14C value obtained by the precipitation method always showed higher values than the predicted values. The difference in 14C value between the gas-strip and precipitation methods was assumed to be caused by the contamination of modern carbon in the NaOH solution used in the precipitation method. The contamination of modern carbon derived from the NaOH solution during precipitation was found to range from less than 1 mg/L to about 1 mg/L. The applicability of the precipitation method for groundwater should be considered carefully according to the DIC, 14C concentration of groundwater, and purpose of the study being conducted.