Influence of 1-Butanol Additives on Palm Biodiesel Fuel Characteristics and Low Temperature Flow Properties

Diesel engines are widely used in almost all professions and cannot be dispensed with in the near future. Now the fossil fuels which are mainly used in diesel engines are depleting continually accompanied by increasing consumption and prices, there is the need to find alternative fuel to fulfil the worlds energy demand. Alternative fuels like biodiesel, are being used as effective alternative for diesel. The feasibility of biodiesel production from palm oil was investigated with respect to its fuel properties. Though biodiesel can replace diesel satisfactorily, problems related to fuel properties persist. In this study an oxygenated additive 1-butanol (BU) was blended with palm oil biodiesel (POME) in the ratios of 1%, 3%, 5% and 7% and tested for their properties improvement. These blends were tested for energy content and various fuel properties according to ASTM standards. Qualifying of the effect of additive on palm biodiesel fuel properties can serve the researchers who work on biodiesel fuels to indicate the fuel suitability for diesel engines according to fuel standards. Blends of BU in POME resulted in an improvement in acid value, viscosity, density and pour point with increasing content of BU in the blend. Further improvement in the pour point temperature of the palm oil methyl esters 1-butanol blends (B-BU) at 7°C can be achieved by adding 7% BU additive to POME, accompanied by 8.07% decrease in energy content of biodiesel.

[1]  M. P. Dorado,et al.  The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition: A Review of Social, Economical and Technical Implications , 2009 .

[2]  Hamit Adin,et al.  Fuel properties of biodiesels produced from blends of canola oil and animal tallow , 2011 .

[3]  A. Ahmad,et al.  Microalgae as a sustainable energy source for biodiesel production: A review , 2011 .

[4]  Haji Hassan Masjuki,et al.  A review on prospect of Jatropha curcas for biodiesel in Indonesia , 2011 .

[5]  L. G. Schumacher,et al.  Impact of cold flow improvers on soybean biodiesel blend , 2004 .

[6]  G. Knothe,et al.  Evaluation of biodiesel obtained from cottonseed oil , 2009 .

[7]  C. Muraleedharan,et al.  Biodiesel Production from Vegetable Oils: A Comparative Optimization Study , 2009 .

[8]  Joe E. Toler,et al.  Effects of blending alcohols with poultry fat methyl esters on cold flow properties , 2010 .

[9]  Mustafa Canakci,et al.  Determination of the density and the viscosities of biodiesel–diesel fuel blends , 2008 .

[10]  L. C. Meher,et al.  Technical aspects of biodiesel production by transesterification—a review , 2006 .

[11]  S. S. Ragit,et al.  Optimization of neem methyl ester from transesterification process and fuel characterization as a diesel substitute , 2011 .

[12]  Aninidita Karmakar,et al.  Properties of various plants and animals feedstocks for biodiesel production. , 2010, Bioresource technology.

[13]  J. Sarangan,et al.  Performance and exhaust emission characteristics of a CI engine fueled with biodiesel (fish oil) with DEE as additive , 2012 .

[14]  Ayhan Demirbas,et al.  Biodiesel from oilgae, biofixation of carbon dioxide by microalgae: A solution to pollution problems , 2011 .

[15]  Bhaskar Singh,et al.  Development of biodiesel: Current scenario , 2009 .

[16]  Subhalaxmi Pradhan,et al.  High Quality Biodiesel from Thevetia peruviana Juss: Physico-Chemical, Emission and Fuel Performance Characteristics , 2012 .

[17]  Yi-Hung Chen,et al.  Fuel properties of microalgae (Chlorella protothecoides) oil biodiesel and its blends with petroleum diesel , 2012 .

[18]  D. Boocock,et al.  Liquid Hydrocarbons from Catalytic Pyrolysis of Sewage Sludge Lipid and Canola Oil: Evaluation of Fuel Properties , 1995 .

[19]  Hifjur Raheman,et al.  Biodiesel production from mixture of mahua and simarouba oils with high free fatty acids , 2010 .

[20]  Haiying Tang,et al.  Fuel properties and precipitate formation at low temperature in soy-, cottonseed-, and poultry fat-based biodiesel blends , 2008 .