Storage stability of biodiesel

Renewable vegetable fuels are spreading rapidly throughout Europe and North America. Because biodiesel fuel has now acquired an important market share, it is necessary to thoroughly examine aspects of its use not previously considered either at the research stage or when overhauling the production technology. One of these aspects is its medium-term storage. The object of the present work is to study the behavior of biodiesel under controlled storage conditions that simulate those found in reality. Samples of biodiesel were kept in the dark, at two different temperatures (20°C and 40°C), in both glass and iron containers. They were controlled by the parameters that indicate their state of oxidation. Another group of samples was stored in glass and kept under the conditions described above in the presence of increasing quantities of water to determine its influence on the formation of acidity.