WebshopIT’S GREAT TO HAVE FAME EQUIPMENT DELIVERED READY TO USE
As the use of biodiesel increases, so does the importance of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) analyses. A year ago, Bureau Veritas’ Amterdam lab invested in special equipment to quickly analyze FAME samples from ship cargoes.
Analyzer setup
Its FAME analyses include three tests that are intended to detect specific characteristics of the FAMES: their fatty acid compo-sition, methanol content, and glyceride content. Using custom developed equipment, Bureau Veritas is able to perform these analyses largely automatically. Its GC analysis is done by a FAME analyzer developed by Da Vinci Laboratory Solutions based on Agilent equipment, Van Andel explains.
“It uses a polar column, a flame ionization detector and an autosampler.” Although there are three analyses, only two gas chromatography columns are deployed. “We can use the same column with two different auto-samplers to run the MC analysis and the fatty acid analysis,” says Van Andel. Van Andel was happiest with the fact that the FAME equipment was delivered ready for use. “This enabled us to start using it right away. Usually when you buy a piece of equipment, you first have to set up a method, find out what the best settings are, calibrate the instrument, measure various standards, and validate the instrument with certified reference material. This can easily take a few months. This time we got the instrument and it was actually ready to use. All we needed to do was validate it with our own materials and we were good to go!”
More information
Read more on the FAME analyzer in the LABinsights magazine.
LABinsights article on FAME Analyzer of Da Vinci at Bureau Veritas
