A simple method to determine bioethanol content in gasoline using two-step extraction and liquid scintillation...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate determination of bioethanol content in gasoline is crucial for fuel quality control and regulatory compliance.
• Existing methods for bioethanol analysis in E-gasoline may be complex or time-consuming.
• The presence of 14C in bioethanol, but not synthetic ethanol, offers a unique analytical signature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simple, rapid, and precise method for quantifying bioethanol in E-gasoline.
• To utilize liquid scintillation counting (LSC) for differentiating and measuring bioethanol content.
• To establish a reliable analytical technique for E-gasoline blends.

Main Methods:

• Bioethanol was extracted from E-gasoline (E3 and E10) using a two-step water extraction process.
• Radioactivity of Carbon-14 (14C) in the extracted water phases was measured using Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC).
• Bioethanol content was calculated based on the measured radioactivity, partition coefficient, and extracted bioethanol amount.

Main Results:

• The developed LSC method accurately determined bioethanol content in E-gasoline.
• Precise measurements were obtained: 2.98+/-0.10% for E3 and 10.0+/-0.1% for E10 (mean+/-SD, n=3).
• The method demonstrated high accuracy and reproducibility for E-gasoline analysis.

Conclusions:

• Liquid Scintillation Counting provides a simple and effective method for determining bioethanol content in E-gasoline.
• This technique offers a quick and easy solution for routine analysis of bioethanol-gasoline blends.
• The method is suitable for quality control and monitoring of bioethanol content in commercial fuels.