PerkinElmer Introduces Turnkey Solutions for Analyzing Quality of Biodiesel Content
6 Feb 2007PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader in Health Sciences and Photonics, today announced four Biodiesel Gas Chromatography (GC) Turnkey Systems that provide the biofuels industry with a choice of high-quality analyzers for the verification of pure biodiesel (B100) to meet ASTM standards as well as the European CEN Method EN14105 standard.
The same GC hardware and column configurations can be used to identify the amount of biodiesel blended into petroleum diesel including B2, B5, B10 and B20 mixes.
“With PerkinElmer’s new Biodiesel GC Turnkey Systems, customers can have confidence in their analysis of biodiesel to meet global standards and avoid potentially damaging buildup in fuel tanks,” said Alessandra Rasmussen, chromatography business director, PerkinElmer Life and Analytical Sciences. “PerkinElmer is committed to providing complete systems that help researchers in the biofuels industry optimize their results and, ultimately, advance the pace and precision of their research and testing.”
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that is produced from natural oils like soybean oil, rapeseed oil or animal fats. It is cleaner burning than petroleum diesel, reducing overall engine emissions. The term biodiesel refers to the pure fuel before blending. In order to ensure a quality product that will work with engines, the glycerin content in biodiesel must be analyzed.
The U.S. National Biodiesel Board has adopted the ASTM specifications and analytical methodology for testing biodiesel, including ASTM D6584 for determining free and total glycerin in B100 biodiesel methyl esters by GC. Glycerin content can indicate the quality of biodiesel; a high content of glycerin can lead to buildup in fuel tanks, clogged fuel systems, injector fouling and valve deposits.
All four Biodiesel GC Turnkey Systems include a Clarus® GC, a complete package of accessories including a standards kit and TotalChrom® Chromatography Data Systems (CDS) instrument-control and data-handling software. Four application-specific configurations are available which provide the specified analyses of biodiesel, such as simulated distillation of biodiesel. All four systems come in both a 120- and 230-volt model.
The GC systems can also supplement other PerkinElmer systems including ICP-OES, FTIR and LIMS for process troubleshooting and data management during biodiesel production to ensure trouble-free operation of diesel engines.