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De Visscher et al. 2004
De Visscher, A., De Pourcq, I. and Chanton, J. (2004). Isotope fractionation effects by diffusion and methane oxidation in landfill cover soils. Journal of Geophysical Research 109: doi: 10.1029/2004JD004857. issn: 0148-0227.

When the open system isotope method has been used to determine the methane oxidation efficiency of a landfill cover soil, it has been assumed that gas transport from the landfill is primarily driven by advection, a mechanism that is not associated with isotopic fractionation. A controlled laboratory experiment revealed that this approach underestimated the methane oxidation efficiency because it underestimated the importance of molecular diffusion during gas transport. In a worst-case scenario laboratory column experiment where diffusion was an important gas transport mode, a comparison between a mass balance and the open system isotope method revealed that the latter underestimated methane oxidation by a factor 2 to 4. The vertical profile of the δ13C value of methane in the column confirmed that isotope fractionation associated with gas transport occurred. Similar profiles were observed in the field, but the effect was less pronounced. It is concluded that the isotope method as currently applied produces a conservative estimate of methane oxidation by landfill cover soils.

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Abstract

Keywords
Atmospheric Composition and Structure, Biosphere/atmosphere interactions, Global Change, Biogeochemical processes, Global Change, Atmosphere (0315, 0325), Global Change, Instruments and techniques, Oceanography, Biological and Chemical, Biogeochemical cycles, landfills, methane oxidation, isotope fractionation
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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