Handheld Biodiesel Analyser to be Showcased

Jun 25 2009

The i-SPEC®Q 100 Handheld Biodiesel Analyser, developed by Paradigm Sensors, LLC (USA) and winner of a 2008 R&D 100 Award, will be featured at the 100^th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo in at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA, May 3-6.

Paradigm Sensors’ technical team--Richard Hirthe, PhD, Director of R&D; Virginia Gordon, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, Kyle Capizzi, Operations Manager, led by Robert Young, President and CEO--will be at the expo in booth 914/916 to answer questions about the i-SPEC’s ability to test for total glycerin, acid number, methanol, and blend percent with close correlation to traditional reference methods, i-SPEC® operation, and the i-SPECs ability to provide affordable, fast (within 200 seconds), and reliable readings. Also, in an exhibitor showcase session held Tuesday morning, May 5 at 9:15 AM in Suwannee19 at the Convention Centre on the resort property during the AOCS conference, Dr. Virginia Gordon, CTO, of Paradigm Sensors, will present a field evaluation of the i-SPEC® Q 100 biodiesel analyser conducted at 10 sites in the US. Dr. Gordon said, “This presentation will demonstrate the capabilities of the i-SPEC® throughout the biodiesel supply chain.” She will elaborate on the evaluation’s results on the i-SPEC’s ease of use, portability, ruggedness, and accuracy compared to traditional testing methods and repeatability on a set of selected samples. The i-SPEC® can simultaneously measure the blend percent and original total glycerin in B100 used for blends and also tests for total glycerin, methanol, and acid number in B100 within minutes. It can be used by anyone from the biodiesel plant’s staff to the terminal operators to ensure biodiesel quality is within specification and that the blend percent of the biodiesel is labeled accurately. Dr. Dick Hirthe, one of the key researchers and developers of the i-SPEC® sensor’s impedance spectroscopy technology says, “All biodiesel advocates agree that with more testing done, the greater assurance that quality biodiesel resides in the supply chain. The years of research and development that led to the commercialization of the i-SPEC® have resulted in a biodiesel field testing unit that is not duplicated in features and range of parameter results by any other biodiesel field testing device. It is a valuable addition to the tools available for monitoring biodiesel quality and blend percent.” AOCS, the originator of the International Congress on Biodiesel: The Science and The Technologies, is a global professional scientific society for all individuals and corporations with interest in the fats, oils, surfactants, detergents and related materials fields. The mission of the Society is the driving force behind all educational materials, technical products and services, which are produced with the help of the AOCS Membership. Paradigm Sensors manufactures its proprietary i-SPEC® Q 100 biodiesel handheld analyser and markets it worldwide. The i-SPEC® is the industry’s first affordable, portable, biodiesel handheld field analyser that tests for total glycerin, acid number, methanol, and the percent blend in biodiesel.