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pH and electrolytic conductivity as parameters to characterize bioethanol

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Abstract

To guarantee the quality of bioethanol and avoid damage to the fuel system in a car, the determination of acidity, water content, as well as chloride, sulfate, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal content are important. Electrochemical quantities like pH and electrolytic conductivity are frequently used in biofuel analysis as sum parameters mainly to indicate the risk of corrosion. Many standards and measurement methods used today in the analysis of biofuel are adopted from specifications and test methods originally developed for fossil-based fuels and commercial alcohol. This results from the rapid expansion of the biofuel production. There are efforts to solve remaining metrological and regulatory issues on a regional and international basis on a short term. In the following an overview on the fundamentals for the measurement of pH in bioethanol blends is given. It will be discussed if the electrolytic conductivity of the bioethanol could be a reliable measure of corrosion causing ionic contaminations in biofuel. State of the art, limitations and future tasks for metrology will be discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, PTB, Bundesallee 100, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany

    Petra Spitzer & Steffen Seitz

  2. Department of Biomedical and Inorganic Chemistry, Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’essais LNE, 1 rue Gaston Boissier, 75015, Paris, France

    Paola Fisicaro & Rachel Champion

Authors
  1. Petra Spitzer
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  2. Paola Fisicaro
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  3. Steffen Seitz
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  4. Rachel Champion
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Correspondence to Petra Spitzer.

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Spitzer, P., Fisicaro, P., Seitz, S. et al. pH and electrolytic conductivity as parameters to characterize bioethanol. Accred Qual Assur 14, 671–676 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-009-0565-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-009-0565-0

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