Improved analysis for sulphur in fuel
An
Agilent Technologies Europe product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Aug 12, 2003
Agilent Technologies has developed a new method for characterising sulphur in reformulated gasoline using gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC-ICP-MS).
Agilent Technologies has developed a new method for characterising sulphur in reformulated gasoline using gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC-ICP-MS).
This method is the first available technique that can measure both individual sulphur species and total sulphur at the lower levels required by upcoming US and EU regulations.
It quantifies individual sulphur species in the low parts-per-billion (ppb) range and total sulphur at less than 1ppm.
The sensitivity of the method provides scientists in the environmental and hydrocarbon processing industries with comprehensive information for regulatory compliance and process control.
Research has implicated sulphur pollution as a contributing factor to a host of environmental and health problems.
Sulphur dioxide is a precursor to acid rain, which increases the acidity of soils, lakes and streams; damages plant and animal life; accelerates the corrosion of buildings and monuments; and reduces visibility.
Sulphur pollution also poses a risk to human health, as long-term exposure can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular illness.
As a result, the USA and the EU have mandated increasingly lower permissible levels of total sulphur in motor fuels.
In 2004, the US Environmental Protection Agency will begin phasing in new guidelines creating an average sulphur standard of 30ppm for motor fuels.
The EU recently set new regulations requiring the full market availability of sulphur-free fuels (containing less than 10ppm sulphur) by 1st January 2005, with the phase-in to be completed by 2009.
This method uses an Agilent 6890 GC with split/splitless injector coupled to an Agilent 7500a ICP-MS with GC-ICP-MS interface.
The method displayed excellent sensitivity compared with traditional detection techniques that use sulphur chemiluminescence, flame photometric or atomic emission detectors.
Individual sulphur species such as thiophene and 2-methylthiophene were detected at 3 to 10ppb, with total sulphur detected at approximately 0.1 to 0.5ppm.
Because of the size and robustness of the ICP-MS plasma, this method virtually eliminates significant analyte signal suppression due to coeluting hydrocarbons.
As a result, the GC separation does not need to be compromised to separate analyte and hydrocarbon peaks, and much faster run times can be achieved.
Total run time for this method was 12min, compared with the 25 to 30min required when using conventional detectors.
Additionally, since ICP-MS is a scanning, elemental detector, this method can be used for simultaneous detection of other volatile organometallic species in fuels.
This can provide important additional information about fuel quality and process control without added investment in time or equipment.
Further information is available by requesting Agilent application note "Quantification and characterisation of sulphur in low sulphur reformulated gasolines by GC-ICP-MS", Agilent publication number 5988-9880EN.
This note is available without charge from any Agilent sales office or from Agilent's website.
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