(674a) Biofuels Manufacturing: From Feedstocks to Manufacturing and End-Product Quality Control

Biofuels quality is related to the inherent of feedstock materials (RMs) and operating conditions used in their production. However to be used as fuel in engines biofuels must meet certain specifications regulated by ASTM or EN standards regardless of the manufacturing processes and / or the type of RMs used in the production process. Failure to comply with these specifications can lead to various problems such as deterioration of the fuel, corrosion of metal parts and rubber, deposit formation and the clogging of filters.

Biofuels characterization by conventional analytical methods is slow and very costly and does not allow quality control at the warehouse and in process. Therefore there is an opportunity for other analytical techniques, such as the near-infrared and mid-infrared spectroscopies (NIRS and MIRS), complying with ASTM 1655 and 1790.

The present work describes standard practices for MIRS and NIRS quantitative and qualitative analysis in the biofuels industry giving practical examples about its implementation and opportunities currently available in this area. A complete toolbox for its implementation in the field is also presented.