The chemical composition of biodiesel fuels has traditionally been determined using gas chromatography (GC) with either flame ionization or mass spectrometric (MS) detection. The stationary phase is typically polar in nature, chosen to optimally separate the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) present in the biodiesels. A variety of column chemistries have been used in the literature. In this study, a direct comparison of the separation of FAMEs present in various biodiesel samples and FAME standards on three polar stationary phases was performed using GC-MS. The temperature program, injection volume, and split ratio were optimized for each column using a commercially available 37 component FAME standard. Separation order on each column will be presented, along with retention factors and resolutions for key pairs of solutes. The optimum conditions on each column as well as the optimal column chemistry for the separation of FAMEs in biodiesel fuels will be discussed.

Comparison of GC stationary phases for the separation of FAMEs in biodiesel fuels

245th National Meeting (2013)

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