Skip to content

Services / Biofuel

Biogenic determination in biofuels

Quantifying the biobased content in fuels can help to

  1. Qualify for tax credits and comply with regulations
  2. Achieve decarbonisation and zero emission targets
  3. Verify the accuracy of biofuel blends and receive accurate results in research and development.

To achieve the goal of net zero emissions, it is crucial to phase out fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. This process, known as decarbonisation, is essential to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The Paris Agreement, a legally binding treaty signed by 196 countries, aims to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this goal, emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

Although the combustion of biomass releases CO2, it is important to distinguish between fossil and biogenic CO2 emissions. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that has been trapped in the soil for millions of years, increasing the total amount of carbon in the biosphere-atmosphere system. In contrast, burning biomass releases carbon that was part of the biogenic carbon cycle, returning carbon absorbed during plant growth to the atmosphere.

Prepare sample shipment

Fill out the shipping form indicating the following information

 1. The desired turnaround time : 

  • Non priority 15 days
  • Standard 7 days
  • Priority 4 days

 2. The desired precision : 

  • < 2 pMC
  • < 1 pMC
  • < 0.5 pMC

 3. Number of samples 

We kindly ask you to prepare the sample to be sent to us respecting the following points:

1. Be sure to send us at least 7 mg of carbon : 

  • Example 1: Cotton contains about 45% carbon:
    Psample [mg] = 7[mg] / 0.45 = 15.5 mg
    If you send us at least 20 mg of cotton we will be sure to have the necessary amount of carbon to make the measurement.
  • Example 2: For a diesel fuel, the carbon content is about 87%, density of diesel is about 737 kg/m3:
    Vsample [ml] = 7[mg ] / (0.87 * 737 [kg/m3] ) = 0.0109 [ml]
    if you send us a diesel in a 1ml sample vials we will have sufficient carbon quantity for the measurement.

2. Send us as homogeneous and clean samples as possible:

  • Materials with strong inhomogeneities can produce results that do not reflect the full nature of the product.

3. Use the following containers for samples:

  • Sample Vials for liquids
  • Ziploc bags for solids
  • For biological samples it is necessary to contact the laboratory
Get a quote

Biogenic determination in biofuels

Quantifying the biobased content in fuels can help to

  1. Qualify for tax credits and comply with regulations
  2. Achieve decarbonisation and zero emission targets
  3. Verify the accuracy of biofuel blends and receive accurate results in research and development.

To achieve the goal of net zero emissions, it is crucial to phase out fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. This process, known as decarbonisation, is essential to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The Paris Agreement, a legally binding treaty signed by 196 countries, aims to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this goal, emissions must be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

Although the combustion of biomass releases CO2, it is important to distinguish between fossil and biogenic CO2 emissions. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that has been trapped in the soil for millions of years, increasing the total amount of carbon in the biosphere-atmosphere system. In contrast, burning biomass releases carbon that was part of the biogenic carbon cycle, returning carbon absorbed during plant growth to the atmosphere.

Prepare sample shipment

Fill out the shipping form indicating the following information

 1. The desired turnaround time : 

  • Non priority 15 days
  • Standard 7 days
  • Priority 4 days

 2. The desired precision : 

  • < 2 pMC
  • < 1 pMC
  • < 0.5 pMC

 3. Number of samples 

We kindly ask you to prepare the sample to be sent to us respecting the following points:

1. Be sure to send us at least 7 mg of carbon : 

  • Example 1: Cotton contains about 45% carbon:
    Psample [mg] = 7[mg] / 0.45 = 15.5 mg
    If you send us at least 20 mg of cotton we will be sure to have the necessary amount of carbon to make the measurement.
  • Example 2: For a diesel fuel, the carbon content is about 87%, density of diesel is about 737 kg/m3:
    Vsample [ml] = 7[mg ] / (0.87 * 737 [kg/m3] ) = 0.0109 [ml]
    if you send us a diesel in a 1ml sample vials we will have sufficient carbon quantity for the measurement.

2. Send us as homogeneous and clean samples as possible:

  • Materials with strong inhomogeneities can produce results that do not reflect the full nature of the product.

3. Use the following containers for samples:

  • Sample Vials for liquids
  • Ziploc bags for solids
  • For biological samples it is necessary to contact the laboratory

Our Solutions for 14C measurement

Materials

C14-SCAR is able to perform ¹⁴C analysis on various materials such as fabrics, plastics, fuels, solvents with measurement times and comparable to Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)
Read more

Pharma

The natural ¹⁴C label can be artificially enriched (even by orders of magnitude) to mark drugs and track their metabolic pathways in human clinical trials.
Read more

Environment

Emissions from fossil fuels can be tracked and quantified by measuring the ¹⁴C content of CO² in air. The lower the content, the higher the contribution from combustion of fossil sources.
Read more