The current industrialized age is heavily reliant on petroleum-based fuels and numerous scientific findings have expressed the dire need for a reduction in the dangerous pollutants caused by traditional fossil fuels. The implementation of renewable and clean-burning fuel sources, such as biodiesel, has become an imperative step for humanity. In this research, various plant-based feedstocks were used to synthesize biodiesels by a transesterification reaction using methanol and a base catalyst that converts triglycerides into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Multiple feedstocks were prepared as B100, B20 and B10 biodiesel-diesel blends and biodiesel mixtures and were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GCMS). A nitroterephthalic acid polyethylene glycol column chemistry was utilized to isolate FAME components. Columns of two different lengths and film thickness (Phenomenex Zebron ZB-FFAP: 30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25 µm, Agilent J&W DB-FFAP: 15 m x 0.1 mm x 0.1 µm) were used for comparison. Temperature programs and instrument parameters were modified to optimize resolution and run time. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on peak areas extracted from the chromatograms to determine whether a shorter column with a thinner film (and subsequently shorter run time) is equally suitable for FAME analysis and feedstock identification as the longer column.

Investigation of biodiesel-diesel blends using GCMS and PCA

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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