Course: BFM 202 Biodiesel Production

Lecture

Analytical Test Methods
Credits
BFM 202 Biodiesel Production Unit 1 Reading has been adapted from "ENGY 131 Unit 1 Commentary: What is biodiesel?" by Southeastern Illinois College.

ENGY 131 Biodiesel Production course content by Southeastern Illinois College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Except where indicated otherwise.

Unit 6 Analytical Test Methods

Fuel Properties

Alternative fuels must meet Federal fuel standards established by the 1990 clean Air Act Amendment. This is partially achieved by understanding fuel properties such as the Cetane Number (CN), viscosity, boiling points, oxidation and lubricity.

- Biodiesel is an excellent engine lubricant that reduces engine wear. A more complete combustion contributes to increased energy output.
- Visually, the color of biodiesel fuel can range from a golden to dark brown, depending upon the feedstock.
- Biodiesel is immiscible with water, has a high boiling point, low vapor pressure, and its flash point is higher than petrodiesel.
- Biodiesel has a density of ~0.88 g/cm^3, which is less than water, and caloric value of about 37.27 MJ/L, which is 9% lower than regular petrodiesel.
- Biodiesel has practically no sulfur content and is used as an additive to create Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (USLD) fuel.
- Biodiesel does not deteriorate stainless steel and aluminum but does have an effect on zinc, tin, lead, cast iron, and copper-based materials. Older engines with natural rubbers may be effected while synthetic rubbers used in newer vehicles seem to handle biodiesel without issue.