Toward the Development of Certified Reference Materials for Effective Biodiesel Testing. Part 1: Processing, Homogeneity, and Stability

摘要

To address the current lack of certified reference materials (CRMs) for biodiesel analysis, the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), Joint Research Centre (JRC), European Commission (EC), launched a comprehensive feasibility study on the production of biodiesel CRMs for relevant specification parameters as provided in EN 14214/ the basis for defining product specifications and measurement methods for biodiesel in the European Union (EU). Laboratories need to be able to check the performance of their methods. This is also true for standardized methods, the use of which does not per se guarantee reliable results. Without underestimating the role and importance of other quality control tools, this paper is focused on aspects for the development of appropriate CRMs to be used for quality control in biodiesel analysis. Homogeneity and stability of a biodiesel material were investigated with dedicated studies. Of the 22 parameters considered overall, it could be shown that it would be feasible to produce a sufficiently homogeneous and stable material for 12 of them in a straightforward manner.