Investigation on the Effect of Fatty Acids Composition on the Fuel Properties of Biodiesel

Abstract

The fatty acids compositions of biodiesel strongly influence its properties. The fatty acid compositions are dependent on feedstock type and are affected by climatic conditions and type of soil. The composition and quality of biodiesel feedstock drives the fuel properties. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the influence of fatty acid compositions of simarouba, pongamia and composite biodiesel on their fuel properties. The fatty acid compositions are determined by Gas Chromatography (GC) method. The fuel properties are determined using standard methods. Simarouba oil which is rich in saturated fatty acids and pongamia oil which is rich in unsaturated fatty acids are mixed in equal volume. This results in new composite oil having fatty acids composition different from its parent oils. It is found that composite biodiesel has shared fuel properties from its parent oils. Thus, mixing of two or more oils from different feedstocks will lead to new composite oil enriched with properties, which will help in reducing the dependence on particular feedstock for biodiesel.

Keywords

• fatty acid composition
• gas chromatography
• biodiesel
• fuel properties