Determination of Carbonyl Functional Groups in Bio-oils by Potentiometric Titration: The Faix Method

Summary

Here we present a potentiometric titration technique for accurately quantifying carbonyl compounds in pyrolysis bio-oils.

Abstract

Carbonyl compounds present in bio-oils are known to be responsible for bio-oil property changes upon storage and during upgrading. Specifically, carbonyls cause an increase in viscosity (often referred to as 'aging') during storage of bio-oils. As such, carbonyl content has previously been used as a method of tracking bio-oil aging and condensation reactions with less variability than viscosity measurements. Additionally, carbonyls are also responsible for coke formation in bio-oil upgrading processes. Given the importance of carbonyls in bio-oils, accurate analytical methods for their quantification are very important for the bio-oil community. Potentiometric titration methods based on carbonyl oximation have long been used for the determination of carbonyl content in pyrolysis bio-oils. Here, we present a modification of the traditional carbonyl oximation procedures that results in less reaction time, smaller sample size, higher precision, and more accurate carbonyl determinations. While traditional carbonyl oximation methods occur at room temperature, the Faix method presented here occurs at an elevated temperature of 80 °C.

Introduction

While pyrolysis bio-oils are comprised of a large variety of compounds and chemical functional groups, quantification of carbonyl groups is especially important. Carbonyls are known to be responsible for the instability of bio-oil during both storage¹ and processing². The titration method presented here is a simple technique which can reliably quantify the total carbonyl content of bio-oils. Only aldehyde and ketone functional groups are quantified using this method; carboxylic acid and lactone groups are not quantified.

For analysis of bio-oils, quantification of carbonyl groups by titration ....

Protocol

Caution: Please review all relevant material safety data sheets (MSDS) before beginning. Ethanol is flammable. All applicable chemical handling procedures should be followed, as well as all applicable waste disposable and handling procedures.

1. Reagent Solutions

1. Prepare the hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution (Solution A): Add 7.7 g of hydroxylamine hydrochloride and 50 mL of deionized water to a 250 mL volumetric flask. When all solids have dissolved, dilute to mark with ethanol. This results in a 0.55 M hydroxylamine hydrochloride solution in 80% (v/v) ethanol.
2. Prepare the triethanolamine solution (Solution B): Add....

Results

A typical titration curve consists of a single endpoint, as shown in Figure 2. Typical titrations for both a raw bio-oil sample, and a blank titration, are shown. As the endpoint lies at the inflection point in the titration curve; the endpoint can be easily identified by plotting the first derivative of the titration curve (shown on the right axis, dpH/dV, in Figure 2). Many automatic titration systems have software that calculates the derivative of the .......

Discussion

Representative titration curves are shown in Figure 2. A blank titration, as well as a titration for a pyrolysis oil sample, are shown. Furthermore, the first derivative of the titration curve (dpH/dV) is shown, which allows for easy recognition of the titration endpoint. The inset table on Figure 2 shows triplicate data for both pyrolysis oil and blank titrations, with average values and standard deviations. The endpoint values shown (in mL) are used in Section 4 to calculate the total .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Analytical balance			accurate to 0.1 mg
dry block heater with magnetic stirrer, or hot water bath with magnetic stirrer
Automatic titrator			We used a Metrohm Titrando 809 automatic titrator, though other equivalent systems are acceptable
Deionized water
Ethanol (reagent grade)			CAS # 64-17-5
Hydroxylamine hydrochloride			CAS # 5470-11-1
Triethanolamine			CAS #102-71-6
Hydrochloric acid (37%)			CAS # 7647-01-0
Sodium Carbonate (primary standard)	SigmaAldrich	223484
4-(benzyloxy)benzaldehyde			CAS # 4397-53-9
Dimethyl sulfoxide			CAS # 67-68-5
5 mL glass Reacti-vials with solid lid and teflon spinvane	Thermoscientific	TS-13223
200 mL volumetric flask
Volumetric or mechanical pipettes