Production, Composition and Fuel Properties of Tallow Biodiesel: A Case of Botswana

Biodiesel has been identified globally as presenting an opportunity for development of a sustainable fuel source, especially in light of international pressures for greenhouse gas emission reductions and the unpredictability of availability and pricing of fossil fuels. For Botswana, the internal development of biodiesel could signify a positive move away from a dependency on imported fuel products, provide sustainable employment and contribute to poverty alleviation measures. In the current study, biodiesel was synthesized from animal fat and tested for fuel properties. Results have shown a biodiesel production yield of 93%, chemical composition that is typical of a biodiesel fuel, and fuel properties that are largely comparable to those of petroleum diesel.

Production, Characterisation and Fatty Acid Composition of <i>Jatropha curcas</i>Biodiesel as a Viable Alternative to Conventional Diesel Fuel in Nigeria

Ethyl ester biodiesel has been produced from a non-edible Jatropha curcas oil. Oil was extracted from the plant seed using n-hexane at 60°C and pretreated by alkaline refining process to reduce the free fatty acid level to less than 1%. Base-catalysed transesterification reaction with absolute ethanol using potassium hydroxide catalyst was adopted for the conversion. Various physicochemical properties of the refined Jatropha curcas oil were investigated. The ethyl ester biodiesel produced was characterised for its fuel properties such as specific gravity at 15°C, flash point, pour point, kinematic viscosity, cetane number, iodine value and higher heating value using American Society for Testing and Materials Standard Methods. The crude and refined Jatropha curcas oil yields were 58.16% and 52.5%. The physicochemical analysis revealed FFA, saponification value and peroxide value of refined Jatropha curcas oil to be 0.58 mg KOH/g, 159.9 and 1.92 m E/kg respectively. The fatty acid composition obtained from gas chromatography (GC) revealed that the oil contained 44.85% oleic acid as the dominant fatty acid, while Margaric 0.01% and Behenic 0.02% the least. The biodiesel yield was 57.6%, and its measured fuel properties conformed with ASTM 6751 and EN 14214 standards.

Endurance Test of Biodiesel Fueled Tractor Engine

A diesel engine for tractor was tested for 250 hours of durability with biodiesel fuel of 100%. An engine test cycle was designed based on the ISO test code of off-road vehicle. Eight test conditions, combination of three engine speeds and eight engine loads, were applied to the engine endurance test, and the engine was operated for eight hours in a day. Power output, fuel consumption rate, exhaust gas quality and particulate matter （PM） were measured and discussed. For the extensive 250 hours of the tractor diesel engine endurance test no significant changes of power output, fuel consumption rate, exhaust gas quality and PM were monitored and authors could not find any difference in the engine patterns of the two fuels of BDF100 and light oil. During all the engine endurance test conditions, no abrupt stopping was encountered but because of temperature down by the cold season the endurance test could not carried out for some periods. PMs were collected and the average F＇M was 0.027 g/kw which was far below than Tier 4 diesel engine PM of 0.3 g/kw h defined by US EPA PM of the diesel engine clas,;. Overall even 100% biodiesel can be an alternative fuel for light oil for diesel engine operation with some considerations for cold sea：son use.

Fuel properties and emission characteristics of biodiesel produced from unused algae grown in India

The high price of different biodiesels and the need for many of their raw ingredients as food materials are the main constraints to be overcome when seeking the best potential alternative fuels to petro-diesel. Apart from that, some properties like high density, viscosity and acid value along with low cloud and pour points preclude their use in com- pression ignition （CI） engines as these properties can cause serious damage to the parts of the engine and reduce engine life. In this experiment, biodiesel was produced from the oil of unused algae by a two-step ＇acid esterification followed by transesterification＇ procedure. Taguchi＇s method was applied to design the experiment, and a L25 orthogonal array was prepared to optimize the biodiesel production procedure. The optimized conditions for transesterification were： methanol to oil molar ratio of 6：1, catalyst （KOH） concentration of 2.5 wt%, reaction time of 90 min and reaction temperature of 50 ~C, achieving a biodiesel production of 89.7% with free fatty acid content of 0.25%. It was found that the CI engine emitted less CO, CO2 and hydrocarbon and higher NOx using algal biodiesel than that using petro-diesel. All properties of the algal biodiesel were within the limit of ASTM standards.

Rapid Biodiesel Fuel Production Using Novel Fibrous Catalyst Synthesized by Radiation-Induced Graft Polymerization

An efficient fibrous catalyst for the biodiesel fuel production has been synthesized by radiation-induced graft polymerization of 4-chloromethylstyrene onto a nonwoven polyethylene (NWPE) fabric followed by amination with trimethylamine (TMA) and further treatment with NaOH. The degree of grafting of NWPE fabric and TMA group density of fibrous catalyst could easily and reproducibly be controlled within a range of up to 340% and 3.6 mmol-TMA/g-catalyst, respectively. In the transesterification of triglycerides and ethanol using the synthesized fibrous catalyst, the conversion ratio of triglycerides reached 95% after 4 h reaction at 50°C.

Optimization of Grafted Fibrous Polymer as a Solid Basic Catalyst for Biodiesel Fuel Production

Grafted fibrous polymer with quaternary amine groups could function as a highly-efficient catalyst for biodiesel fuel (BDF) production. In this study, the optimization of grafted fibrous polymer (catalyst) and transesterification conditions for the effective BDF production was attempted through a batch-wise transesterification of triglyceride (TG) with ethanol (EtOH) in the presence of a cosolvent. Trimethylamine was the optimal quaternary amine group for the grafted fibrous catalyst. The optimal degree of grafting of the grafted fibrous catalyst was greater than 170%. The optimal transesterification conditions were as follows: The optimal molar quantity of quaternary amine groups, transesterification temperature, molar ratio of TG and EtOH, and primary alkyl alcohol were 0.8 mmol, 80°C, 1:200, and 1-pentanol, respectively. The grafted fibrous catalyst could be applied to BDF production using natural oils. Furthermore, the grafted fibrous catalyst could be used repeatedly after regeneration involving three sequential processes, i.e., organic acid, alkali, and alcohol treatments, without any significant loss of catalytic activity.

Experimental Investigation on Macro Spray Characteristics of Octanol-Biodiesel-Diesel Ternary Fuel Blend

This study investigates the spray characteristics of ternary blends composed of octanol, biodiesel, and diesel fuel.Experiments are conducted using six materials to examine the variation in spray characteristic and to verify and compare a previously established spray tip penetration model with a modified model. The results show that the addition of OB100(30%of octanol, 70% of biodiesel) improves the spray characteristics of the fuel. Specifically, the addition of 10% or 20% of OB100 leads to a slight increase in the spray tip penetration, average spray cone angle, maximum spray width, and the spray area of the fuel blend;however, further addition of OB100 causes a corresponding decrease in these parameters. Based on previous research, this study uses kinematic viscosity instead of dynamic viscosity and density to modify the prediction model of spray tip penetration. The modified model exhibits a better fit quality and agreement with the experimental data,making it more suitable for predicting the spray tip penetration of fuel blends compared to the Hiroyasu-Arai model.

Measurement of Emissions from a Passenger Truck Fueled with Biodiesel from Different Feedstocks

Biodiesel has generated increased interest recently as an alternative to petroleum-derived diesel. Due to its high oxygen content, biodiesel typically burns more completely than petroleum diesel, and thus has lower emissions of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter (PM). However, biodiesel may increase or decrease nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, depending on biodiesel feedstock, engine type, and test cycle. The purpose of this study was to compare emissions from 20% blends of biodiesel made from 4 feedstocks (soybean oil, canola oil, waste cooking oil, and animal fat) with emissions from ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD). Emissions of NOx and CO2 were made under real-world driving conditions using a Horiba On-Board Measurement System OBS-1300 on a highway route and arterial route;emissions of NOx, CO2, HC, CO, and PM were measured in a controlled setting using a chassis dynamometer with Urban Dynamometer Drive Schedule. Dynamometer test results showed statistically significant lower emissions of HC, CO, and PM from all B20 blends compared to ULSD. For CO2, both on-road testing (arterial, highway, and idling) and dynamometer testing showed no statistically significant difference in emissions among the B20 blends and ULSD. For NOx, dynamometer testing showed only B20 from soybean oil to have statistically significant higher emissions. This is generally consistent with the on-road testing, which showed no statistically significant difference in NOx emissions between ULSD and the B20 blends.

Base-transesterification process for biodiesel fuel production from spent frying oils

The concept of converting recycled oils to clean biodiesel aims towards reducing the amount of waste oils to be treated and lowering the cost of biodiesel production. Samples of waste oils were prepared from Spent Frying oil collected from local hotels and restaurants in Khartoum, Sudan. Selected methods to achieve maximum yield of biodiesel using the waste feedstock were presented and compared. Some properties of the feedstock, such as free fatty acid content and moisture content, were measured and evaluated. Biodiesel yield recovery obtained, from Base-transesterification process about 92%. Produced Biodiesel specifications were also analyzed and discussed in Base-transesterification process. Kinematic viscosity of biodiesel was found to be 5.51 mm2·s?1 at 40?C, the flash point was 174.2?C and Cetane No of 48.19. Biodiesel was characterized by its physical and fuel properties according to ASTM and DIN V 51606 standards.

Determination of the Effects of Safflower Biodiesel and Its Blends with Diesel Fuel on Lubricating Oil in a Single Cylinder Diesel Engine

In the present study, safflower biodiesel （safflower oil methyl ester） was produced through transesterification. Biodiesel fuel obtained from safflower was blended with diesel fuel in ratios of 2% （B2） and 20% （B20）. Kinematic viscosity, density, water content, heating value, flash point, clouding point, pour point, ash content, copper strip corrosion and CFPP （cold filter plug point） tests were performed on B2, B20, B100 fuel blends and diesel fuel. A four stroke, single cylinder, water cooled diesel engine with a direct injection fuel system was operated with B2, B20, B100 and diesel fuels at partial load for 100 hours and samples were taken from the engine lubricating oil at certain hours. The wear elements iron, aluminum, lead, copper and chromium contents of the samples taken from the engine lubricating oil were examined.

Waste Frying Oils-Based Biodiesel: Process and Fuel Properties

The conversion of waste frying oil into a valuable methyl ester (biodiesel) has been successfully conducted and also the acid pre-treatment process was carried out prior to the main biodiesel production process for lowering waste frying oil free fatty acid (FFA) content below 1%. The physicochemical properties of biodiesel were analyzed to ensure the product could meet the standards of fuel properties. The methanolysis was selected as the biodiesel production technique under various mixing speeds namely 350, 400 and 450 rpm, while the other parameters are maintained at the optimum process conditions such as methanol to oil molar ratio is 6:1, percentage of catalyst loading is 1.0% wt, reaction temperature is 60℃, and reaction time is 50 min. Also, the investigation on the kinematic viscosity, density and flash point of biodiesel was performed against a number of rpm. The standards of ASTM D 6751 were applied to measure the entire prescribed properties of biodiesel. The highest yield of biodiesel obtained was 99%. The values of flash point, kinematic viscosity and density were in the range of specified limitations. Other biodiesel properties fulfilled the diesel engine application requirements.

Biodiesel from Plant Resources—Sustainable Solution to Ever Increasing Fuel Oil Demands

The demand for fuel oil is ever increasing with the advance of the modern world, whereas worldwide reserves of fossil oils are diminishing at an alarming rate. However, there exist large stockpiles of vegetable oil feedstocks that could be exploited to produce fuel oil, called biodiesel with the aid of biotechnology. Initially, the biodiesel produced from vegetable oil did not attract much attention because of its high cost. However, the recent increase in petroleum prices and the uncertainties of petroleum availability led to the renewal of interest in biodiesel production from such sustainable resources (i.e., vegetable oil feedstocks). This research focuses on the production of biodiesel from plant resources, and further investigates the influences of key process parameters, such as the molar ratio of methanol to oil, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature, reaction period and stirring speed on the biodiesel yield. This investigation is to determine the optimum process parameters for maximum biodiesel yield. The biodiesel was produced from three vegetable oil feedstocks, namely palm, soybean and sunflower oil via a transesterification process. It was observed that all the process parameters significantly influenced the biodiesel yield. The maximum biodiesel yields for palm, sunflower and soybean oil feedstocks were found to be 87.5%, 83.6% and 80.2%, respectively at optimum condition. The results suggest that through proper optimization of the process parameters the biodiesel yields could be maximized. In conclusion, the production of biodiesel from plant resources would be regarded as a sustainable solution to the ever increasing demand of fuel oils.

The Effect of Reaction Temperature, Catalyst Concentration and Alcohol Ratio in the Production of Biodiesel from Raw and Purified Castor Oil

In this study, a homogeneous alkaline catalyst was used in the production of biodiesel from raw and refined castor oil feedstock. The effect of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a catalyst between the two feedstocks, raw and refined castor oil was compared. The transesterification technique was utilized in this study, aiming to investigate the effect of different parameters, which include the reaction temperature, methanol-to-oil mole ratio, and catalyst concentration at a constant period of 90 minutes. The result revealed the performance of the KOH catalyst on raw castor oil yielded 98.49% FAME, which was higher than the refined castor oil which yielded 97.9% FAME. The optimal conditions obtained from refined castor oil were applied to raw castor oil because of the same properties. The fuel quality of castor oil and produced biodiesel were tested for physicochemical properties.

Past, Present and Future: A Role for Liquid Biofuels in Transitioning to Net Zero?

Over the last decade, the uptake rate of first-generation biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) has decelerated as low blend limits have increased only slowly and extreme volatility in oil prices has limited investment in biofuels production infrastructure. Concerns over the environmental impacts of large-scale biofuels production combined with tariff barriers have greatly restricted the global trade in biofuels. First-generation biofuels produced either by fermentation of sugars from maize or sugarcane (ethanol) or transesterification of triglycerides (biodiesel) presently contribute less than 4% of terrestrial transportation fuel demand and techno-economic modelling foresees this only slowly increasing by 2035. With internal combustion and diesel engines widely anticipated as being phased out in favour of electric power for motor vehicles, a much-reduced market demand for biofuels is likely if global demand for all liquid fuels declines by 2050. However, second-generation, thermochemically produced and biomass-derived fuels (renewable diesel, marine oils and sustainable aviation fuel) have much higher blend limits;combined with policies to decarbonise the aviation and marine industries, major new markets for these products in terrestrial, marine and aviation sectors may emerge in the second half of the 21st century.

Biodiesel from Palm Vegetable Oil

Energy obtained from a variety of non-renewable sources is considered unsustainable. Various fossil fuels, such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas, are among these sources. The combustion of fossil fuels resulted in the generation of greenhouse gases, which increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Global warming and ozone layer degradation are the negative consequences. In a country like India, where consumable oils are still imported, it is sense to look at the possibility of using such unpalatable oils in CI engines that aren’t often utilized as cooking oil. Palm oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the monocarp of the oil palm’s crop. The main goal is to provide a low-cost, high-performance alternative to diesel. The possibility of palm oil as a realistic, modest, and effective hotspot for the generation of biodiesel is investigated in this research. The article is focused on the comparison of palm oil and diesel in terms of characteristics.

产油酵母的研究现状与展望

生物能源是从生物来源的材料制成的可再生能源,主要分为生物质能、生物燃料、生物气体三大类,具有绿色、低碳、清洁、可再生等优点.微生物油作为第三代生物柴油,有可能成为传统化石燃料的绿色替代品,是缓解能源挑战和环境问题的研究热点.本文综述产油酵母油脂合成与调控机制以及代谢工程等研究进展.产油酵母作为微生物油生产的主体,其异柠檬酸脱氢酶的活性依赖一磷酸腺苷(AMP),使得它们在限氮条件下大量积累油脂;酵母积累油脂受到各种条件的影响(比如碳氮源、温度、溶氧、pH值等),相关碳氮源利用与胁迫调控转录因子GAT1、MIG1、ASG1、MYB、GRAS、CBF11、TORC1 bHLH8和PHD等也调控其脂代谢.但产油酵母相对于酿酒酵母来说,其油脂合成机制与遗传背景依旧不清晰,限制了其工业化应用.因此,未来还需要加强微生物油生产技术的研究,从提高菌株鲁棒性、增加经济性代谢副产物产量、提高廉价底物利用能力等方面降低微生物油的生产成本,使其成为传统化石燃料的有效替代品.

Evaluation of biodiesel from Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge seed kernel oil from 13 areas in China

Oil content from seed kernels of Xanthoceras sorbifolia from 13 areas in China was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to determine oil characteristics and biodiesel properties. The seeds had a high kernel percentage (53.67%± 7.51), oil content (52.21%± 4.01), and biodiesel yield (99.77%± 0.21). Among the fatty acids in the oil were high percentages of linoleic acid (41.66 ± 2.26)% and oleic acid (28.44%± 2.03). Most of the fuel properties complied well with the ASTM D6751-10, EN 14214-08, and GB/T 20828-2014 standards. The 13 sampling areas were grouped into four clusters based on different kernel percentage, oil content, biodiesel yield, and fatty acid composition. The results showed that the quality of kernel oils from seeds from Ar Horqin Banner was the best, although kernel oils from seeds in all 13 areas were suitable for biodiesel production. This study provides a basis for selecting optimal sites to harvest seeds from X. sorbifolia.

Detailed investigation of optimized alkali catalyzed transesterification of Jatropha oil for biodiesel production

The non-edible oils are believed to be one of the major feedstock for the production of biodiesel in future.In the present study,we investigated the production of Jatropha oil methyl esters（JOMEs） via alkali-catalyzed transesterification route.The biophysical characteristics of Jatropha oil were found within the optimal range in accordance with ASTM standards as a substitute diesel fuel.The chemical composition and production yield of as-synthesized biodiesel were confirmed by various analytical techniques such as FT-IR,1H NMR,13 C NMR and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.A high percentage conversion,～96.09%,of fatty acids into esters was achieved under optimized transesterification conditions with 6 ：1 oil to methanol ratio and 0.9 wt% Na OH for 50 min at ～60°C.Moreover,twelve fatty acids methyl esters（FAME） were quantified in the GC/MS analysis and it was interesting to note that the mass fragmentation pattern of saturated,monounsaturated and diunsaturated FAME was comparable with the literature reported values.

Investigation of performance and emission characteristics of waste cooking oil as biodiesel in a diesel engine

Biodiesel is one of the most popular prospective alternative fuels and can be obtained from a variety of sources. Waste frying oil is one such source along with the various raw vegetable oils. However, some specific technical treatments are required to improve certain fuel properties such as viscosity and calorific value of the biodiesel being obtained from waste cooking oil methyl ester （WCOME）. Various treatments are applied depending on the source and therefore the composition of the cooking oil. This research investigated the performance of WCOME as an alternative biofuel in a four-stroke direct injection diesel engine. An 8-mode test was undertaken with diesel fuel and five WCOME blends. The best compromise blend in terms of performance and emissions was identified. Results showed that energy utilization factors of the blends were similar within the range of the operational parameters （speed, load and WCOME content）. Increasing biodiesel content produced slightly more smoke and NOx for a great majority of test points, while the CO and THC emissions were lower.

A Laboratory Study of the Effect of Temperature on Densities and Viscosities of Binary and Ternary Blends of Soybean Oil, Soy Biodiesel and Petroleum Diesel Oil

The depletion of world petroleum reserves and the increased environmental concerns have stimulated the search for alternative sources for petroleum based fuel. The possibility of using vegetable oils as fuel has been recognized, however, due to its high viscosities and low volatilities makes it inefficient for most combustion engines and thus the need to get them chemically altered or transesterified to obtain fatty alkyl esters of the oil (biodiesel). In this study, binary and ternary blends of biodiesel were produced and the effect of temperature on their viscosity and density was investigated. Biodiesel was produced from soybean oil by transesterification of the oil with methanol using potassium hydroxide as a catalyst at a temperature of 60℃ in a batch reactor. Binary and ternary blends of the soy-biodiesel were prepared with soy bean oil and petroleum diesel fuel, respectively. Viscosities and densities of the binary and ternary blends were measured at different temperatures of 20℃ to 90℃ as to determine the effect of temperature on viscosities and densities of the blends. The properties of the soy-biodiesel produced were compared with ASTM standard and found to be within the limits. The results show that the viscosities and densities of both the binary and ternary blends are temperature dependent. The viscosities of binary and ternary blends decreased nonlinearly with temperature, while their densities decreased linearly with temperature. The variation of temperature with viscosity and density of the blends was correlated and the polynomial equation offered the best correlation between temperature and viscosity, while linear equation gave the best correlation between temperature and density. In conclusion, the efficiency of binary and ternary blends of biodiesel in combustion engines is dependent on the viscosity and density of the blends which are invariably temperature dependent.