As the energy sector shifts towards sustainable solutions, reliable analytical methods remain crucial. The role of standards within these methods is pivotal, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and reliability across various industries. In this Q&A session, we speak with Larry Tucker, the Director of Norms and Standards at Metrohm USA and the Second Secretary for Committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants. Backed by extensive experience, Tucker shares his perspectives and insights on the current challenges, advancements, and future directions in the field of petroleum product analysis.
Could you provide a brief overview of standardization in the petroleum industry?
Standardization is very important for commerce in general. When you look at the energy industry, all of our fuels---both conventional and renewable---are products that are blended to performance specifications. Having uniform products (by conforming to standards) means that every time you fill your car at a gas station, you're getting a product that will work in your vehicle, and you don't have to worry. That's only possible if you have consistent standardization and commercial enforcement of standards. We depend a lot on energy, and it's extremely important that everyone in society can rely on fuels, whether it's the natural gas in our house or the fuel that goes into the bus that takes our kids to school. You can only do this with some type of stamp---consistent standards that are accepted and adhered to. Because fuels are traded on a global basis, those standards must be globally recognized. That's where ASTM plays a large role in ensuring those global standards are in place for consistent quality.
What are some of the latest updates in this field?
This field is certainly moving. It's emerging quickly because of the shift to renewable, recyclable, cleaner, and greener initiatives. Of course, those core themes are being discussed across industries as organizations question how they can lower their carbon footprint. In the petroleum testing and marketing world, companies apply these topics in different ways that are unique to their situation, where they believe they can make a difference for their business.
For example, there's a push to produce renewable diesel, so there are large investments in renewable diesel plants. Significant investments have also been made in producing fuel from recycled plastics. Companies are making all sorts of efforts to take advantage of recycling and using renewable resources. There are also processes that can convert various feedstocks into fuel. I call this "trash to cash," which is waste to fuel. And there are many projects where people go to landfills, tap into the natural gas, and supply energy for a certain area. Those types of programs are really important.
Which analytical methods are most important within the industry?
There is a partnership in play when it comes to the analytical tools. Needs are constantly changing in response to either regulations or changes in feedstocks. Many traditional analytical tools have a place in the industry, including gas and ion chromatography, spectroscopy, and wet chemistry (particularly titration), with needs changing depending on processes and regulations. For example, initiatives to reduce sulfur content in fuel caused a significant change in the industry. Fuels initially had high sulfur content, but in some cases, new regulations require a total sulfur level below five or 10 milligrams per kilogram of fuel. The industry had to adapt and find a way to process fuels that still work in vehicles yet have low sulfur content. Along with this came the need for analytical tools that could reliably measure sulfur at these low levels.
What are some key challenges faced by analytical scientists in this field?
New fuels bring process challenges, which require measurement by analytical techniques. Spectroscopy is used increasingly broadly within the industry, particularly in manufacturing processes, to assist with quality assurance and process control. One of the benefits of spectroscopy is its speed compared to chromatographic techniques. If you can measure multiple fuel parameters quickly, you can make faster decisions about process adjustments. Getting more data faster is an ever-present theme as economic pressure continuously encourages us to do more with the same or less. This forces productivity initiatives, and labs are becoming increasingly open to automation and other technologies that provide essential efficiency gains.
With labor shortages in the industry, it's becoming more difficult to find experienced, qualified personnel, so it's vital to leverage the existing workforce efficiently. This is where training plays an important role. From that standpoint, ASTM has launched a number of initiatives to help train laboratory technicians and personnel. The ASTM technician training program uses video tutorials to teach technicians how to run test methods and interpret the resulting data.
Are there any trends or emerging issues that you anticipate will drive significant changes in this field?
There is currently a lot of focus on synthetic aviation fuel (SAF). Airlines are committing to high volumes of SAF that aren't available in the market today. As a result, there's a push to build the production capacity of this cleaner, greener fuel. It's a similar situation to what we've seen with batteries. After the introduction of battery cars, many assumed we could quickly switch to these vehicles, but we are still lacking charging stations and other infrastructure. If everyone switches tomorrow, we could have potential problems, including long lines at charging stations or compatibility issues. Any time we're undergoing an evolutionary change, we have to consider if we have the capacity to implement that change and at what pace that can happen.
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