Preparation and Evaluation of Jojoba Oil Methyl Esters as Biodiesel and as a Blend Component in Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel

The jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis L.) produces seeds that contain around 50 to 60 wt.% of inedible long-chain wax esters that are suitable as a potential feedstock for biodiesel (BD) production. Jojoba oil methyl esters (JME) were prepared from acid-catalyzed pretreated jojoba oil in order to evaluate important fuel properties of jojoba-based BD, including kinematic viscosity, cloud point (CP), pour point (PP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP), acid value (AV), oxidative stability, and lubricity. A comparison was made with soybean oil methyl esters (SME) and relevant BD fuel standards such as ASTM D6751 and EN 14214. JME was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. The CP, PP, and CFPP of JME were −13°C, −16°C, and −14°C, respectively, which were superior to SME. The kinematic viscosity (40°C) of JME was 6.67 mm2/s, which was higher than observed for SME. Blends (B5 and B20) of JME in ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) were also evaluated for the aforementioned fuel properties and compared to an analogous set of blends of SME in ULSD and relevant petro diesel fuel standards such as ASTM D975 and D7467. JME blends in ULSD displayed improved low-temperature properties in comparison to neat ULSD and blends of SME in ULSD. In summary, jojoba oil has potential as an alternative, nonfood feedstock for BD production.

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