CHARACTERIZATION OF IONS IN BIO-ETHANOL USED FOR BIO-FUEL BLENDING

The development and widespread use of bio-fuels require the development of appropriate analytical procedures and methods to monitor their composition and properties either as single raw material or as parts of mixed commercial product. Bio-ethanol is ethanol produced from biomass or biodegradable waste and used as a blending component in commercial gasoline fuel. Bio-ethanol can be contaminated with chloride and sulfate ions which can cause various unwanted side effects like corrosion and forming deposits. European norm, EN 15376 defines the maximum permitted level of ions present and by that maximum chloride and sulfate content should not exceed 6.0 mg·kg-1 and 4.0 mg·kg-1, respectively. In this paper, the applicability of the ion chromatography method for chloride and sulfate determination in bio-ethanol with satisfactory precision, simple sample preparation and short analysis time is shown.