Determination of Ester and Linolenic Acid Methyl Ester Contents in Biodiesel According to EN 14103:2020

User Benefits

- Nexis GC-2060 provides reliable analysis of biodiesel samples regarding their ester and linolenic acid methyl ester contents using hydrogen as a cost-effective carrier gas. - It delivers excellent repeatability and provides appropriate safety measures for the use of hydrogen as carrier gas. - The optional multi-mode injection unit (MMI) offers performance equivalent to a conventional split-splitless injection unit (SPL), significantly reducing maintenance downtime.

Introduction

Biofuels play an important role in enabling countries to meet their greenhouse gas reduction targets. They can be produced from a range of raw materials, including plant oils, animal fats, and used cooking oils. Biodiesel is mainly being produced from rapeseed, soybean, and palm oils. Due to this diversity of feedstocks, continuous quality control is necessary as the quality of the raw material has an enormous impact on the quality of the biodiesel. The EN 14103:2020 describes the determination of total ester content and linolenic acid methyl ester content in biodiesel by means of gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). The total ester content covers a range of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from C6 to C24, and linolenic acid methyl ester is investigated separately as interfering reactive compound that might influence long-term stability of the biodiesel. According to the standard, the total ester content must be greater than 90 % (m/m) and the linolenic acid methyl ester content shall be between 1 and 15 % (m/m). This study shows the analysis of biodiesel originating from rapeseed, soybean, and palm oil using the Nexis GC-2060.

April 1, 2026 GMT