University of Finland research develops device to measure radioactive methane

In Finland, a researcher at the University of Finland has taken a first step towards creating a precise measuring device for radioactive methane. The new method is an optical one based on spectroscopy. Previously, radioactive methane has been measured with accelerator mass spectrometry, involving expensive and huge machines. Optical measuring could be a cheaper and more agile method, methods which have been used before to measure radioactive carbon dioxide but so far, researchers have not reached the same precision with optical methods as with accelerator mass spectrometry. The method could be used for finding out the composition of fuel, for example. The authorities could analyze how much of a biofuel consists of biogas and how much is natural gas.