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Oil, Gas, Petrochemical Industry News
News Release from: Analytik | Subject: Biofuels with NIR
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 April 2007
Real-time non-destructive analysis for
Biofuels
From characterisation of oil content of crops, to quantification and quality analysis of key parameter levels in biofuel processing, the use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is rapidly increasing
The escalating use of NIR in the analysis of biofuels is directly attributable to the operational ease, combined with the non-destructive and reliable nature of the technique The quality of biofuels is critical to performance and market place acceptance
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 15 May 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Standards-setting organisations in the US and Europe have designated metrics (US: ASTM D-6751-03 and D5798-99; Europe: CEN 14214 and prEN 15376:2006) for biofuel quality.
NIR can reliably and accurately quantify levels of many key parameters in raw fuel material, including:.
* Moisture.
* Glycerin.
* Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs).
* Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs).
NIR is ideally suited to the measurement of combination and overtone absorptions of C-H, O-H, and N-H, bonds, common in nearly all organic systems.
NIR is, therefore, applicable to almost all qualitative (ID) and quantitative (concentration) analyses of organic systems.
By using NIR to measure biolipid parameters, processors can make the necessary adjustments during the process to account for variations in levels of moisture and Free Fatty Acids (FFAs).
Through precision measuring of moisture prior to purification, the necessary amount of drying agent and/or the correct timing to heat the biolipid (oil or fat) to remove free water can be assessed more accurately.
Any remaining water in the process can promote the saponification reaction and inhibit the transesterification reaction.
After purification, NIR can be used to measure Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content.
By measuring FFA, process engineers can more accurately control the amount of base (typically NaOH) required for the neutralization of the FFA, therefore greatly increasing production quality, and eliminating unnecessary NaOH waste.
LabSpec and QualitySpec instruments have gone the distance to provide research laboratory quality data where ever and whenever it is needed.
Benefits of LabSpec Vis/NIR Technology:.
* Flexible system configurations for portable, laboratory, and on-line analysis.
* Real-time analysis for process control.
* Simultaneous determination of multiple components per measurement.
* No sample preparation.
* Precise and accurate.
* Non-destructive - no waste or pollution.
LabSpec spectrometers can provide coverage of the Visible Spectral Region, allowing colour analysis to also be utilised.
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