In Singapore, the shipping industry is increasingly using biofuels such as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). However, concerns have arisen about the legality of biofuels and whether they are truly sustainable.
Industry bodies have found a growing number of cases of mislabelling of biofuels purportedly made from recycled fats and oils, while suspicions remain that these biofuels may be made from cheaper, less sustainable virgin oils.
To address these issues, FAME fingerprint recognition can be used as a potential tool to detect fraud in the bunker supply chain and ensure the authenticity of biofuels. By providing a physical verification method that complements existing certification schemes, FAME Fingerprint Recognition can help demonstrate that the Green Premium has real environmental benefits and maintain the integrity of the bunker supply chain.
FAME fingerprinting is based on the principle that the fatty acid profile of a FAME is unique to its feedstock and can be retained during the esterification of the feedstock to produce the FAME. The ‘fingerprint’ can then be compared to a database of known fatty acid profiles to identify the source of the feedstock.
GCMD, in collaboration with VPS, modified an existing fuel testing method to analyse samples using a gas chromatograph with flame ionisation detection, a common instrument in fuel testing laboratories.