A blend of radish oil (RO) and apricot kernel oil (AKO) was transesterified with methanol, ethanol, and their equivalent mixture, to yield methylic biodiesel (MBD), ethylic biodiesel (EBD), and methylic/ethylic biodiesel (MEBD), respectively with the refining of the so-developed fuels through adsorption onto the activated carbon prepared by ZnCl 2 activation of apricot shells. The best conversion of RO-AKO blend to MBD (96.12 ± 1.25%) and MEBD (94.23 ± 2.22) was attained at KOH concentration, 0.75% w/w of oil, alcohol/oil molar ratio, 6/1, mixing intensity, 600 rpm, reaction temperature, 60°C, and 45-min reaction period, whereas the best conditions that produced the highest yield of EBD (95.19 ± 2.0 %) were KOH concentration, 1.0 KOH % w/w of oil, ethanol/oil molar ratio, 8/1, mixing intensity, 600 rpm, reaction temperature, 65°C, and 75-min reaction period. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed formation of the alkyl esters from the RO-AKO blend. The quality of MBD, EBD, and MEBD obtained from the RO-AKO blend was evaluated and found comparable with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6751 standards. Additionally, blending of MEBD with petrodiesel was possible, and properties of the blends were in accordance with those established by ASTM D7467-17. The methanolysis of the RO-AKO mixture followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics with activation energy of 27.27 kJ mol −1 . In conclusion, the RO-AKO mixture could be lowcost feedstock for biodiesel production. Moreover, apricot shells could be exploited as a priceless and suitable adsorbent for the adsorption of impurities found in the crude alkyl esters for its high surface area.KEYWORDS radish oil-apricot kernel oil blend, alcoholysis reaction, purification by activated carbon, fuel properties assessment, identification of biodiesel, kinetics

A novel activated carbon (AC) was created from an equal blend of date stones and walnut shells by ZnCl2 chemical activation. The impact of the impregnation and the carbonization conditions on the AC synthesis was investigated. Numerous techniques were used to identify the optimal AC. The best AC sample was created at a 1:1 ZnCl2/feed impregnation ratio, 500 °C, and in 60 min, with a surface area of 1039.20 m2g−1. This AC was employed for the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from model gasoline. Superior removal of DBT (98.18 %) was accomplished using 25 mL DBT solution (200 mg L−1) and an AC dose of 0.35 g at 30 °C for a contact period of 30 min. The Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model best described the DBT sorption compared to other models.

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