Premium
Evaluation of partially hydrogenated methyl esters of soybean oil as biodiesel
Author(s) -
Moser Bryan R.,
Haas Michael J.,
Winkler Jill K.,
Jackson Michael A.,
Erhan Sevim Z.,
List Gary R.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
european journal of lipid science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1438-9312
pISSN - 1438-7697
DOI - 10.1002/ejlt.200600215
Subject(s) - en 14214 , biodiesel , lubricity , soybean oil , raw material , diesel fuel , pulp and paper industry , iodine value , biodiesel production , biofuel , chemistry , environmental science , waste management , food science , organic chemistry , engineering , catalysis
Biodiesel, an alternative fuel derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, continues to undergo rapid worldwide growth. Specifications mandating biodiesel quality, most notably in Europe (EN 14214) and the USA (ASTM D6751), have emerged that limit feedstock choice in the production of biodiesel fuel. For instance, EN 14214 contains a specification for iodine value (IV; 120 g I 2 /100 g maximum) that eliminates soybean oil as a potential feedstock, as it generally has an IV >120. Therefore, partially hydrogenated soybean oil methyl esters (PHSME; IV = 116) were evaluated as biodiesel by measuring a number of fuel properties, such as oxidative stability, low‐temperature performance, lubricity, kinematic viscosity, and specific gravity. Compared to soybean oil methyl esters (SME), PHSME were found to have superior oxidative stability, similar specific gravity, but inferior low‐temperature performance, kinematic viscosity, and lubricity. The kinematic viscosity and lubricity of PHSME, however, were within the prescribed US and European limits. There is no universal value for low‐temperature performance in biodiesel specifications, but PHSME have superior cold flow behavior when compared to other alternative feedstock fuels, such as palm oil, tallow and grease methyl esters. The production of PHSME from refined soybean oil would increase biodiesel production costs by US$ 0.04/L (US$ 0.15/gal) in comparison to SME. In summary, PHSME are within both the European and American standards for all properties measured in this study and deserve consideration as a potential biodiesel fuel.