Official methods require sample handling procedures before GC analysis, such as derivatisation, dilution, and standard addition. These represent, when executed manually, a critical time-consuming step in the analytical workflow, with possible impacts on the overall accuracy and reliability of the results.

Automated sample preparation with online GC analysis represents a viable solution to overcome these challenges, delivering more accurate data for greater confidence, increasing sample throughput, and improving the analyst’s safety by minimising exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

Through a dedicated multi-method GC platform equipped with a robotic autosampler for an automated workflow, laboratories performing biodiesel quality control can increase operational efficiency with unattended operations, giving back to the analyst the time for more valuable activities such as data interpretation. This white paper describes the system configuration, the applied methods in compliance with EN/ASTM guidelines, and shows the analytical results for free/total glycerol and glycerides content, residual methanol, and total Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) content.

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