Overcoming Testing Challenges For Contaminants in Biofuels

How Hydrocarbon Compatibility Can Create Cleaner Fuels

Despite the many advantages, most biofuels are not yet cost-competitive with conventional fuels. Biofuels have a lower energy density than fossil fuels. Therefore, engine adjustments are required when blending large volumes of biofuels.

It is critical to ensure that resources are free of contaminants, as unclean fuel stocks can damage the internal components of engines, supply systems, and other equipment. Additionally, sulphur regulatory limits must be met by all biofuels, whether blended or not. The presence of chlorine in some biofuels may also cause corrosion damage during and after the production stages. And when blending fuels, the different molecules can behave differently, which requires precise management to ensure that the fuel functions as intended.

 “The first and second-generation ethanol or biodiesel technologies blend into the fuel but are not the same molecules. They don't behave the same, and there are limits to how much you can blend in,” comments Professor David Bressler, professor from the Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences department at the University of Alberta in Canada, in a PerkinElmer Q&A. 

“Even with ethanol if you get too high a blend, you start having different requirements on the engine to handle that change. Biodiesel, again, there's a limit to how much you can blend into the diesel resource without having problems with solubility and cloud points and so on,” he adds. “The fuels we're looking at are more compatible. They’re hydrocarbons coming from the petroleum world. When hydrocarbons blend in, they improve product quality in terms of particulate emissions. 

Several projects are already underway to produce fuels more compatible with hydrocarbons. Prof Bressler explains that with time and advanced technologies, it is possible to create cleaner fuels from non-food-grade sources at scale using lipid- to-hydrocarbon technology (LTH). "The LTH technology we've licensed to forge hydrocarbons is being benchmarked by third parties – we haven't built it fully commercial yet – but we’re in the ballpark of a 15% to 20% carbon footprint as compared to a petroleum base," he says.

Enabling Efficient Biofuels

It is essential for labs to confidently test and monitor chemical compounds crucial for biofuel research and production to meet industry performance standards. For manufacturers, storing biofuels presents a unique set of operational problems such as blocked filters, slow-running pumps, and damage to pipework and tanks, eventually resulting in possible equipment failure.

“Biofuels have different kinds of fat composition,” explains Daan Vijfhuizen, account manager at PerkinElmer’s operations in the Netherlands. “But also, the additives that are added and the effects this can have on motors of vehicles – that's something major. Sometimes, you could have an engine failure because the engine is not ready for the different kinds of burning levels.”.

To address this issue, flashpoint testing is required. Furthermore, PerkinElmer is seeking to reduce the environmental impact of its in-service testing in lab processes – with a focus on not only throughput but also sample sizing. “There are some features in some instrumentation like the ICP-OES where we reduce the use of argon, which is a gas that's driving the plasma,” adds Vijfhuizen.

Laboratory Testing For Biofuels

Collaborating with a specialist provider of analytical technology and industrial lab solutions such as PerkinElmer can help overcome many challenges with biofuels, aid predictive maintenance, and validate compliance testing of finished fuels.

For instance, compositional quality checks on blended fuel products must quantify ethanol at about 92.1% of the volume, and methanol at roughly 0.1% to 0.5%, according to ASTM standard (D4806). With its capacity to measure hydrocarbon compounds at low and high levels, PerkinElmer's gas chromatography systems with wide-range flame ionisation detector (FID) can ease this process.

The importance of a robust GC system is a point that QA/ QC labs and research institutes both agree on. Prof Bressler stresses, “I’ll be very blunt - without gas chromatography, we don't do anything. From the very beginning right up to last week, everything we do is monitored through gas chromatography. Whether it's online or sample taking, whether it's the gas or liquid phase, GC is important to characterizing and monitoring what's happening within the reactor,” he states. “We're looking at the composition, quantitating how much of everything is there.

“We're coupling that with a mass spectrometer, looking at what’s being formed. If it's a new compound, and we're not familiar with it, we need both the analytical information we get from flame ionisation detectors, as well as structural information from mass spec.”

In addition, to comply with regulations such as EN14110, Gas Chromatography coupled with Headspace analysis is required. QA/QC laboratories prioritize sensitivity and accuracy, as contaminants can significantly compromise the safety and quality of biodiesel.

Leveraging pressure balance technology, the PerkinElmer HS 2400 Headspace Sampler boosts sensitivity, translating into increased precision for QA/QC processes for biodiesel. Ultimately this helps labs ensuring adherence to stringent standards.

On the other hand, biodiesel’s high oxygen concentration can end up absorbing XRF signals and reports lower sulphur and chlorine concentrations. Therefore, a quick and accurate test is required for authentic sulphur and chlorine levels in the biodiesel mixture. For this purpose, an ICP-OES solution is proven to be highly effective in detecting contaminant levels in industrial biofuels.

While a system such as PerkinElmer Spectrum Two™ FTIR Spectrometer used with the ATR accessory can serve as a reliable and portable tool for determining biodiesel content according to ASTM standards such as ASTM D7371, or if used in transmission mode is ideal for analysis to EN Method 14078. This instrument includes starter calibrations to allow for rapid deployment in the field.

“Sustainability is not only changing the kind of things you put in a car but also changing the footprint of your lab. These kinds of solutions are real game changers,” adds Vijfhuizen.

Laboratories detecting fuel quality, need to balance lab efficiency with compliance requirements. They need reliable and robust instruments to detect and measure contaminants and assure purity standards to ASTM/EN. Most labs will require a combination of IR spectroscopy, chromatography and elemental analysis instrumentation working in tandem. However, finding the right instruments is just the first step.

Laboratories who combine instrumentation with supporting services from their instrument providers gain competitive advantages from having an effective overall analysis solution. This allows them to increase analytical efficiency whilst at the same time, controlling the quality of the end fuel product and protecting the brands that represent them. PerkinElmer offers analytical solutions that support biofuel analysis with easy-to-use solutions, meeting industrial compliance requirements while enabling streamlined lab operations, no matter the users’ skill level. With expertise, training and maintenance as well as biofuels application offerings, PerkinElmer can help labs responding to industry trends for increased efficiency and streamlined workflows.