Determination of the short-chain fatty acid pattern in biodiesel using high throughput syringe solvent extraction and ion exclusion chromatography

► A sensitive method determining biodiesel SCFA distribution is presented. ► The dynamic range from 0.1 mg/kg to ∼985 mg/kg fits most biodiesel applications. ► The detection limit can be extended down to 2 μg/kg. ► Biodiesel aging caused formic, acetic and propionic acids to reach 50 mol% of TAN.