A new standard for elemental analysis in crude oil and residual fuels has been developed by ASTM International’s Committee on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels and Lubricants. A significant upgrade, D8322 is used to determine metals in residual fuels and crude oils with microwave-plasma atomic emission spectrometry.
It extends the series of analytes from those prescribed in previous reference methods, like D5708 and D5683, which only refer to the determination of nickel, vanadium, and iron. In D8322, calcium, sodium, aluminium, silicon, zinc and sulphur are included. It aims to be a whole lot safer, too, by removing the need for acetylene and argon – both of which are relatively expensive materials. Indeed, further abbreviations, like the skipping of acid digestion and ashing during sample preparation, ensure that D8322 is more cost-effective than its predecessors.
If you’d like to know more about the benefits of D8322, visit ASTM International’s stand at PEFTEC 2022.
