How Are ICP Methods Being Used in the Petroleum and Biofuels Industry?

Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) techniques, such as ICP coupled with mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ICP-optical emission spectroscopy (OES), have seen a lot of growth in recent years for the direct analysis of organic samples such as petroleum and biofuels. Jose-Luis Todoli, a professor at the University of Alicante in Spain, has conducted several studies in this area, including the elemental determination of metals in bioethanol using ICP-OES, and the use of a torch integrated sample introduction system as well as ICP-MS to analyze petroleum products and biofuels. He recently spoke to us about this work and other projects involving ICP techniques that his group is focused on.