Abstract

The ability to determine the concentration of an unknown sample is highly important in every scientific research. This work focuses on the construction of a calibration curve for the analysis of siloxanes concentration in an anaerobic digester. The siloxanes of interest were the octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) which has a negative effect on the conversion of biogas into energy and is harmful to mechanical equipment. For this purpose, fourteen samples having methanol as solvent and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) as solute, with concentrations ranging between 0.01 %V/V and 1 %V/V, were prepared and analyzed through gas chromatography. The resulting percentage areas helped to the construction of a calibration curve. Only samples in the range 0.031 %V/V – 0.115 %V/V followed a linear trend as expected.

Keywords

Gas Chromatography, Siloxanes, Calibration Curve, Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, Percentage area.