Biofuels are common addition or substitute for fossil fuels, applied as an attempt to decrease the impact of transport on the environment. Because of a large variety of already known biofuels and intensive research in the field, there is a high demand for analytical techniques for their quantification in fuels. Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) is one of the ideal candidates for this kind of measurements because the measured substance is radiocarbon found in all biofuels. This chapter describes the fundamental feature of LSC measurements and possible sample preparation steps. One of the methods (direct LSC method) is highlighted. One of the method’s advantages is simple sample preparation, thus suitability for every LSC laboratory. Calibration and validation results of three types of biocomponents, i.e., bioethanol, synthetic biodiesel [hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO)], and conventional biodiesel [fatty acid methyl esters (FAME)], are presented. All results show that the described method is suitable for routine analysis of various biocomponents.
Part of the book: Frontiers in Bioenergy and Biofuels