GCMD: FAME fingerprinting can improve visibility

Aaccording to the “Rapid forensic analysis of FAME-based biofuelsAccording to the report, FAME fingerprinting has proven effective in identifying raw material origins and detecting extraneous fatty acid impurities in the marine fuel supply chain. A distinction can also be made between new and waste-derived FAME from the same starting material, the latter having undergone processing, for example repeated heating. However, the process of differentiating processed FAME may benefit from additional data supplementation.

Currently, the approach to determining whether FAME has been processed is based primarily on quantification of linolenic acid content. To advance this insight, it is recommended that additional data be collected to establish a quantitative threshold for linolenic acid and allow a definitive distinction between virgin and used palm oil.

Another area that needs further development in the future is the distinction between FAME produced from palm oil mill effluents and FAME produced from virgin palm oil, as they have identical FAME fingerprints. One possible approach is to analyze the presence of heavy metals, particularly iron and zinc.

Beyond the FAME fingerprint, work can be done to identify the presence of other unique components such as dihydroxylpropylelaidate, i-propyl-14-methylpentadecanoate and cis-9-hexadecenal.

By systematically identifying all of these differentiating components, a robust and comprehensive database can be built, making FAME fingerprinting a reliable tool for ensuring transparency and preventing fraudulent practices in the supply chain.

Because different fatty acid compositions in FAME can significantly impact fuel properties, fingerprint recognition capability provides an opportunity to reverse engineer FAME blends with desired properties, such as cold flow properties and oxidation stability, specifically tailored to vessel performance.

Challenges in detecting fraud in sustainable FAME within marine fuel supply chains

• The legitimacy of FAME as a sustainable fuel is of increasing importance due to the increasing number of mislabeled FAME products on the market. These FAME products are often made with less sustainable raw materials than stated.
• While existing international certification systems play a fundamental role in certifying sustainable biofuels, their primary reliance on post-hoc audits may limit their ability to prevent fraudulent practices, particularly in real-time fraud detection.
• Physical validation complements existing certification practices by providing transparency, justifying the green premium of biofuels and protecting the integrity of marine fuel supply chains.

FAME fingerprinting as a potential forensic tool

• FAME fingerprinting is based on the principle that the fatty acid profile of FAME is unique to its starting material and can be preserved during transesterification of the starting material. FAME’s unique chemical signature or “fingerprint” can be compared to a database of known fatty acid profiles to identify the source of the raw material.
• To address the lack of an established method, GCMD and VPS jointly developed an analysis method based on EN 14103 to facilitate the collection of FAME fingerprints.
• FAME fingerprinting can be performed using a flame ionization detection gas chromatograph, an instrument commonly used in fuel testing laboratories.
• The process takes approximately one hour, comparable to the turnaround time for marine fuel quality inspection in today’s supply chains, and can be implemented in parallel.
• FAME fingerprinting can improve visibility and enable traceability of raw material origin in marine fuel supply chains.

Improving the distinction between FAME from virgin material and waste sources

• Together with specific chemical by-products, the FAME fingerprinting method has proven to be a promising tool for distinguishing between FAME produced from the same starting raw material, such as: B. Palm oil derivatives (virgin palm oil, used palm oil and wastewater from palm oil mills).
• Further developments and additional data are required to establish the linolenic acid threshold for the final distinction between virgin and used palm oil.

Further work is required for higher resolution

• Additional work is required to enable higher resolution differentiation based on source material origin.
• Particular emphasis should be placed on identifying changes that occur with prolonged heating, for example, tracking the formation and evolution of by-products such as linolenic acid and dihydroxylpropylelaidate. For FAME, which is produced from palm oil mill wastewater, heavy metals such as iron and zinc can serve as indicators.
• Another area of ​​research is the quantitative relationship between fatty acid composition and fuel properties to help ship operators optimize biofuel handling and storage to mitigate equipment or performance risks.

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