Succinimide additives play an important role in combating engine deposits and are therefore commonly blended in fuels. As many of the methods currently used to quantify them in fuel rely on time-consuming techniques and the use of expensive laboratory equipment, a more practical approach was explored. For this purpose, an existing method for aqueous samples involving a colour reaction with Rose Bengal dye and spectrophotometric detection in the UV/Vis range was modified for usage in the nonpolar fuel matrix and tested for applicability. The result was an accessible method for determining the succinimide additive content of diesel fuel—including biodiesel—that is easy to implement in the laboratory routine.
Frauscher et al. (Mon,) studied this question.