Comparative assessment of sal and kusum biodiesel properties

This paper focuses on the use of kusum and sal oils found abundantly in India, yet unexplored for biodiesel production. The fatty acid profiles of the feedstocks suggest that sal oil has 56.8% saturated fatty acid whereas kusum oil has 34.8%. The kinematic viscosities of methyl ester of sal and kusum oils were higher and the calorific values were lower than those of diesel. The oxidation stability of both the esters is more than 6 h. The physicochemical properties of the two esters were within permissible limits of ASTM standard. The blending of ester in diesel has resulted in better performance and lower emissions.