ASTM D5501-04 - 1.4.2004
 
Significance and Use

Fuel ethanol is required to be denatured with gasoline in accordance with Specification D 4806. State and federal laws specify the concentration of ethanol in gasoline blends. The determination of the amount of denaturant is important to ensure the blended fuel complies with federal and state laws. This test method provides a method of determining the percentage of ethanol (purity) of the fuel ethanol that is blended into gasoline.

 
1. Scope
p>1.1 This test method covers the determination of the ethanol content of denatured fuel ethanol by gas chromatography.

1.2 Ethanol is determined from 93 to 97 mass % and methanol is determined from 0.1 to 0.6 mass %. Equations used to convert these individual alcohols from mass % to volume % are provided.

1.3 This test method does identify and quantify methanol but does not purport to identify all individual components that make up the denaturant.

1.4 Water cannot be determined by this test method and shall be measured by a procedure such as Test Method D 1364 and the result used to correct the chromatographic values.

1.5 This test method is inappropriate for impurities that boil at temperatures higher than 225oC or for impurities that cause poor or no response in a flame ionization detector, such as water.

1.6 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are provided for information purposes only.

This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use./p>

 
2. Referenced Documents

E594-96(2026)

Standard Practice for Testing Flame Ionization Detectors Used in Gas or Supercritical Fluid Chromatography

D4626-23

Standard Practice for Calculation of Gas Chromatographic Response Factors

D4307-17(2021)

Standard Practice for Preparation of Liquid Blends for Use as Analytical Standards

D4175-24e2

Standard Terminology Relating to Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants (Includes all amendments and changes 6/9/2026).

D4057-22

Standard Practice for Manual Sampling of Petroleum and Petroleum Products

D4052-22

Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Liquids by Digital Density Meter

D1364-22

Standard Test Method for Water in Volatile Solvents (Karl Fischer Reagent Titration Method)

D1298-24

Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, or API Gravity of Crude Petroleum and Liquid Petroleum Products by Hydrometer Method

D5798-25

Standard Specification for Ethanol Fuel Blends for Flexible-Fuel Automotive Spark-Ignition Engines

D5599-22

Standard Test Method for Determination of Oxygenates in Gasoline by Gas Chromatography and Oxygen Selective Flame Ionization Detection

D4815-22

Standard Test Method for Determination of MTBE, ETBE, TAME, DIPE, tertiary-Amyl Alcohol and C1 to C4 Alcohols in Gasoline by Gas Chromatography

E203-24

Standard Test Method for Water Using Volumetric Karl Fischer Titration

D6792-25

Standard Practice for Quality Management Systems in Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants Testing Laboratories

D6299-26a

Standard Practice for Applying Statistical Quality Assurance and Control Charting Techniques to Evaluate Analytical Measurement System Performance (Includes all amendments and changes 8/4/2026).

E1510-95(2021)

Standard Practice for Installing Fused Silica Open Tubular Capillary Columns in Gas Chromatographs

E1064-24

Standard Test Method for Water in Organic Liquids by Coulometric Karl Fischer Titration

D4806-25

Standard Specification for Denatured Fuel Ethanol

E355-96(2021)e1

Standard Practice for Gas Chromatography Terms and Relationships (Includes all amendments and changes 4/28/2021).