Skip to main content
Log in

Validation of direct methods for biogenic fraction assessment in fuels on a liquid scintillation counter

  • Published:
Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Recently developed direct LSC method for the biogenic fraction determination in biodiesel samples was evaluated. Intercomparison samples had the unknown composition of biomaterials/fossil fuels and a broad range of quench levels. Reliable results were obtained with the direct two-step LSC method for the samples with a quench level of roughly 50 channels above the SQP(E) limit of the method’s applicability. The Internal Standard method for the detection efficiency determination provided better accuracy, additionally lowering the SQP(E) limit of the method’s applicability. The adapted two-step method’s calibration via Internal Standard technique was tested on samples with sunflower seed biocomponent.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Directive (EU) (2018) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. Off J Eur Union L 5:82–109

  2. Sandesh K, Ujwal P (2021) Trends and perspectives of liquid biofuel: process and industrial viability. Energy Convers Manag X 10:100075

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Dijs IJ, van der Windt E, Kaihola L, van der Borg K (2006) Quantitative determination by 14C analysis of the biological component in fuels. Radiocarbon 48(3):315–323

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Krištof R, Kožar Logar J (2013) Direct LSC method for measurements of biofuels in fuel. Talanta 111:183–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hurt M, Martinez J, Pradhan A, Young M, Moir ME (2021) Liquid scintillation counting method for the refinery laboratory-based measurements of fuels to support refinery bio-feed co-processing. Energy Fuels 35(2):1503–1510

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Reddy CM, DeMello JA, Carmichael CA, Peacock EE, Xu L, Arey JS (2008) Determination of biodiesel blending percentages using natural abundance radiocarbon analysis: testing the accuracy of retail biodiesel blends. Environ Sci Technol 42(7):2476–2482

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kim S-S, Kim J, Shin S-C, Agblevor FA (2009) Distinction between bioethanol and synthetic ethanol in a mixture of gasoline using low level liquid scintillation counting. Chem Lett 38(8):850–851

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Krajcar Bronić I, Barešić J, Horvatinčić N, Sironić A (2017) Determination of biogenic component in liquid fuels by the 14C direct LSC method by using quenching properties of modern liquids for calibration. Radiat Phys Chem 137:248–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Mook WG, van der Phicht J (1999) Reporting 14C activities and concentrations. Radiocarbon 41(3):227–239

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Norton GA, Cline AM, Thompson GC (2012) Use of radiocarbon analyses for determining levels of biodiesel in fuel blend—comparison with ASTM method D7371 for FAME. Fuel 96:284–290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Doll CG, Wright CW, Morley SM, Wright BW (2017) Analysis of fuel using the direct LSC method determination of bio-originated fuel in the presence of quenching. Appl Radiat Isot 122:215–221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Krištof R, Hirsch M, Kožar Logar J (2014) Implementation of direct LSC method for diesel samples on the fuel market. Appl Radiat Isot 93:101–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Edler R, Kaihola L (2007) Determination of the 14C content in fuels containing bioethanol and other biogenic materials with liquid scintillation counting. LSC Application Note 43:PerkinElmer. http://www.perkinelmer.com/pdfs/downloads/APP_Determination-of-Carbon-14-in-fuels-containing-Bioethanol-and-other-Biogenic-Materials-with-Liquid-Scintillation-Counting.pdf

  14. Lee JE, Li ZH, Wang H, Plymale AE, Doll CG (2022) Quantification of biogenic carbon in fuel blends through LSC 14C direct measurement and assessment of uncertainty. Fuel 315:122859

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Culp R, Cherkinsky A, Prasad GVR (2014) Comparison of radiocarbon techniques for the assessment of biobase content in fuels. Appl Radiat Isot 93:106–109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Noakes J, Norton G, Culp R, Nigam M, Dvoracek D (2005) A comparison of analytical methods for the certification of biobased products. In: Chalupnik S, Schönhofer F, Noakes JE (eds) LSC 2005, Advances in liquid scintillation spectrometry: proceedings of the 2005 international liquid scintillation conference, Katowice, Poland, October 17–21, 2005, pp 259–271

  17. Norton GA (2009) Direct analysis of automotive fuels for bioethanol content using radiocarbon analysis. Radiocarbon 51(3):995–1003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Jakonić I, Nikolov J, Todorović N, Tenjović B, Vesković M (2014) Study on quench effects in liquid scintillation counting during tritium measurements. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 302:253–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. L’Annunziata MF (2012) Handbook of radioactivity analysis, 3rd edn. Academic Press, Amsterdam, ISBN 9780123848734

    Google Scholar 

  20. Stojković I, Nikolov J, Tomić M, Mićić M, Todorović N (2017) Biogenic fraction determination in fuels—optimal parameters survey. Fuel 191:330–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. PerkinElmer Life Sciences. Quantulus 1220 (2002) Instrument manual, ultra low level liquid scintillation spectrometer. PerkinElmer 1220-931-06. https://www.perkinelmer.com/content/manuals/gde_quantulusinstrumentmanual.pdf

  22. Minne E, Heynen F, Hallez S (2008) Possible overestimation of the external standard quench parameter on Wallac 1220 Quantulus™ with high energetic beta-emitters. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 278(1):39–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Krajcar Bronić I, Sironić A, Barešić J, Lovrenčić Mikelić I, Borković D (2022) Optimization of the direct LSC method for determination of biogenic component in liquids by applying 14C. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 331:3289–3294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Krištof R (2015) Quantification of biocomponents in fuels by 14C. Doctoral dissertation, University of Nova Gorica Graduate School, Nova Gorica

  25. Varlam C, Ionita G, Stefanescu I, Steflea D (2001) Comparative study between external standard method and internal standard method for low-level tritium measurements. In: Jencic I, Glumac B (eds) Proceedings of the international conference nuclear energy in Central Europe, Portorož, Slovenia, Sept 10–13, 2001

  26. Currie LA (1968) Limits for qualitative detection and quantitative determination. Application to radiochemistry. Anal Chem 40(3):586–593

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Haverly MR, Fenwick SR, Patterson FPK, Slade DA (2019) Biobased carbon content quantification through AMS radiocarbon analysis of liquid fuels. Fuel 237:1108–1111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Doll CG, Plymale AE, Cooper A, Kutnyakov I, Swita M, Lemmon T, Olarte MV, Wang H (2021) Determination of low-level biogenic gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel in blends using the direct liquid scintillation counting method for 14C content. Fuel 291:120084

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia within the grants No. 451-03-68/2022-14/200125 and 451-03-68/2022-14/200156 (“Innovative scientific and artistic research from the FTS (activity) domain”).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ivana Stojković.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Stojković, I., Todorović, N., Nikolov, J. et al. Validation of direct methods for biogenic fraction assessment in fuels on a liquid scintillation counter. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 193–202 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08684-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08684-5

Keywords

Navigation