Abstract
The main objective of this study was to use infrared spectroscopy to identify vegetable oils used as raw material for biodiesel production and apply multivariate analysis to the data. Six different vegetable oil sources—canola, cotton, corn, palm, sunflower and soybeans—were used to produce biodiesel batches. The spectra were acquired by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a universal attenuated total reflectance sensor (FTIR-UATR). For the multivariate analysis principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), interval principal component analysis (iPCA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) were used. The results indicate that is possible to develop a methodology to identify vegetable oils used as raw material in the production of biodiesel by FTIR-UATR applying multivariate analysis. It was also observed that the iPCA found the best spectral range for separation of biodiesel batches using FTIR-UATR data, and with this result, the SIMCA method classified 100% of the soybean biodiesel samples.
Highlights
Brazil has always stood out on the global scene for its advanced know-how in the production of biofuels, and was the second-largest producer of biodiesel in 2010 and the biggest global consumer in 2011 [1]
The results from the characterization of the biodiesel samples are shown on Table 2
The present paper suggests that is possible to develop a methodology to identify vegetable oils used as raw material in the production of biodiesel by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a universal attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-UATR) sensor by applying multivariate methods of analysis
Summary
Brazil has always stood out on the global scene for its advanced know-how in the production of biofuels, and was the second-largest producer of biodiesel in 2010 and the biggest global consumer in 2011 [1]. The first experiments on the use of ethanol in Otto cycle engines date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Studies on biofuels in Brazil started long ago, it was only in the 21th century that the country put into action a plan to produce biodiesel on a large scale, taking advantage of the experience acquired with the Pro-Alcohol Program. With the intent to broaden the Brazilian energy matrix, in 2004, the Federal Government launched the National Program of Biodiesel. It can be used in pressure-ignited internal combustion engines or for other types of energy generation and can partially or totally replace fossil fuels. There are wide possibilities to use biodiesel in urban, road and rail transportation, for the generation of energy, in stationary engines, and others
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