Energy & Fuels, Vol.25, No.10, 4630-4637, 2011
Toward the Development of Certified Reference Materials for Effective Biodiesel Testing. Part 2: Characterization and Value Assignment
A comprehensive feasibility study for the production of a biodiesel reference material for relevant specification parameters as provided in EN 14214(1) was launched because of insufficient knowledge available for most of the steps needed for the production of new biodiesel certified reference materials (CRMs). This paper summarizes the findings of this study for the characterization and final value assignment of a biodiesel reference material. Assigned values were calculated as the unweighted mean of the laboratory means of the accepted sets of results for each parameter. Uncertainties were estimated in compliance with the "Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement" (GUM, ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008),(2) including contributions from characterization, homogeneity, and stability studies. Of the 22 parameters considered overall, it could be shown that it would be feasible to prepare and certify reference material for 7 of them (ester, linolenic acid methyl ester, triacylglycerol, total glycerol, iodine value, oxidation stability, and acid value) with the approach taken thus far. For the remaining parameters, different problems were encountered. Although raising a considerable number of challenges, the development of a future biodiesel CRM for many parameters seems feasible. The provision of such a material would favor the building of a harmonized measurement system and, consequently, comparable analytical results.