Total Sulfur (UV-F) in Fuel Ethanol - ASTM D5453

Fuel ethanol is mainly used as (biofuel) additive for gasoline. It oxygenates the gasoline mixture, which allows the fuel to burn more completely and therefore produces cleaner emissions. Nowadays, gasoline is being sold with a 10% (E10), 15% (E15) or even 85% (E85) mixture of fuel ethanol. Gasoline that is blended with fuel ethanol must comply with the specification limit of 10 ppm Sulfur as regulated by the TIER 3 or EURO 6 norm. Fuel ethanol itself contains little Sulfur and is not a significant source of Sulfur content in gasoline.

Most of the sulfur in fuel ethanol comes from the denaturant used to restrict human consumption and avoid taxes. The denaturant is typically natural gas liquids, which is a byproduct of natural gas production. Petroleum-based gasoline is generally not used from a cost perspective. Fuel ethanol is tested by elemental combustion analyzers to confirm that the Sulfur content complies with their specification limit.

The XPLORER-TS or XPLORER-TN/TS are perfectly suitable to accurately determine the Sulfur content in fuel ethanol samples.

Total Sulfur (UV-F) in Fuel Ethanol - ASTM D5453

Total Sulfur (UV-F) in Fuel Ethanol - ASTM D5453

Total Sulfur (UV-F) in Fuel Ethanol - ASTM D5453

Results

TE Instruments took part in two interlaboratory studies (ILS) to monitor the performance of its analyzers according to the ASTM D5453 test method. The results obtained are excellent, with Z-scores close to zero and outcomes that exactly match the average of the ILS. The XPLORER systems provide accurate results with standard deviations well below the repeatability limits (r), as stated in the ASTM D5453.

Sample Volume (µL) Density Conc. S - mg/kg StDev (mg/kg) RSD (%) n=10 Z-Score
ETOH1908 - 0.79 1.6 - - -
Xplorer A 100 0.79 1.6 0.1 6.4 -0.06
Xplorer B 100 0.79 1.6 0.1 3.8 -0.06
ETOH1912 - 0.79 2.9 - - -
Xplorer A 100 0.79 2.9 0.03 0.9 -0.08
Xplorer B 100 0.79 3.0 0.02 0.8 0.03