Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy: A potential tool for atmospheric carbon dioxide measurement

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a main contributor to global warming, making up approximately 80% [1] of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Therefore, a precise measurement of the atmospheric CO2 concentration is essential. Although a number of analytical techniques are available for measuring CO2 in air samples, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers a relatively simple and straightforward analysis which is why it was utilized in this study. LIBS requires a simple experimental setup and offers real-time carbon dioxide measurement. The strong C(I) emission line at 247.85 nm was selected for CO2 measurement, which yielded a detection limit of 36 ppm with a pulse energy of 145 mJ. Real-time measurement has been demonstrated: a single measurement can be made in 40 s with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.6%. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.