Determination and discrimination of biodiesel fuels by gas chromatographic and chemometric methods

Abstract

Pattern recognition method (PRM) was applied to gas chromatographic (GC) data for a fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) composition of commercial and laboratory synthesized biodiesel fuels from vegetable oils including sunflower, rapeseed, corn and palm oils. Two GC quantitative methods to calculate individual fames were compared: Area % and internal standard. The both methods were applied for analysis of two certified reference materials. The statistical processing of the obtained results demonstrates the accuracy and precision of the two methods and allows them to be compared. For further chemometric investigations of biodiesel fuels by their FAME-profiles any of those methods can be used. PRM results of FAME profiles of samples from different vegetable oils show a successful recognition of biodiesels according to the feedstock. The information obtained can be used for selection of feedstock to produce biodiesels with certain properties, for assessing their interchangeability, for fuel spillage and remedial actions in the environment.