Current Status of the Biodiesel Industry

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel and fuel extender easily derived from vegetable oil or animal fat. In 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency mandated that maximum sulfur content of diesel fuels be reduced to 15 ppm to protect catalysts employed in exhaust aftertreatment devices. Processing to produce this ultra-low sulfur petrodiesel (ULSD) alters fuel lubricity, density, cold flow, viscosity, and other properties. Consequently, there is a need to develop a better understanding of the basic fuel properties of biodiesel/ULSD blends. This work evaluates the effects of biodiesel volumetric blend ratio (V BD ) on cloud point (CP), kinematic viscosity (m), specific gravity (SG), and refractive index (RI) of blends with petrodiesel. Properties measured for various blends of methyl esters of soybean oil (SME) and used cooking oil (UCOME) in ULSD were compared with those for blends with low sulfur (B500 ppm) petrodiesel fuel (LSD). With respect to increasing V BD , CP and SG increased and RI decreased with each parameter demonstrating a linear correlation. In contrast, m showed a curvilinear relationship with respect to increasing V BD . Calibration curves were derived from regression analyses to determine V BD in biodiesel/ULSD blends from measurements of each individual property. While the models had generally high coefficients of regression (R 2 [ 0.986), SG models were most accurate for predicting V BD to within 1.3 vol%.

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Effects of Monoacylglycerols on the Cold Flow Properties of Biodiesel

Dunn

2012

J Americ Oil Chem Soc

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Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel made from plant oils and animal fats that may be burned in a compression–ignition (diesel) engine. It is composed of mono‐alkyl fatty acid esters made from plant oils or animal fats mainly by transesterification with methanol or ethanol. This process leaves behind small concentrations of minor constituents including monoacylglycerols (MAG). Saturated MAG have low solubility in biodiesel and may form solid residues during storage in cold weather. Soybean oil‐fatty acid methyl esters (SME) were mixed with up to 1.0 mass% MAG to evaluate the effects on cloud point (CP), freezing point (FP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP), and wax appearance point (WAP). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that MAG with only 27.6 mass% total long chain (C16–C18) saturated fatty acid content had melting transitions between 54 and 59.0 °C. Furthermore, DSC analysis indicated that pure monoolein may be problematic with respect to melting transitions between 25.4 and 33.4 °C. Solubility data for SME–MAG mixtures indicated a broad transition temperature range from solid at low temperature to liquid at temperatures exceeding 60 °C. Increasing the added MAG content from 0.10 to 1.0 mass% increased both CP and FP. Cold filter plugging point demonstrated higher sensitivity than CP or FP at added MAG content below 0.10 mass%, though it was not affected by increasing MAG concentration above 0.50 mass%. Wax appearance point showed no effects until added MAG content exceeded 0.25 mass%. Kinematic viscosity measured at 5 °C similarly showed no effects until added MAG concentration exceeded 0.20 mass%. Specific gravity at 15.6 °C and refractive index at 25 °C were not greatly affected by added MAG except at concentrations greater than 0.10 mass%.

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Current Status of the Biodiesel Industry

Cited by 4 publications

References 12 publications

Utilization of Waste Cooking Oil as a Sustainable Product to Improve the Physical and Rheological Properties of Asphalt Binder: A Review

Utilization of Waste Cooking Oil as a Sustainable Product to Improve the Physical and Rheological Properties of Asphalt Binder: A Review

Fuel Properties of Biodiesel/Ultra‐Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) Blends

Effects of Monoacylglycerols on the Cold Flow Properties of Biodiesel

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