Evaluation and Predictive Model Development of Oxidative Stability of Biodiesel on Storage

Biodiesel comprises mono-alkyl esters of long-chain fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) derived from a renewable lipid feedstock. A major technical issue with the use of biodiesel is that it is more prone to oxidation during storage, when compared to petroleum fuel, due to the high content of polyunsaturated methyl esters that are easily oxidizable to compounds such as acids, aldehydes, and alcohols. Biodiesel (Jatropha and Pongamia) and antioxidants (Turmeric and butylated hydroxytoulene) were used for this study. We found that the acid value and viscosity for pongamia biodiesel increased significantly by 41.17% and 44.0% and that for jatropha biodiesel increased by 31.5% and 37.0%, respectively, after being stored for 3 months. The impact of antioxidants on the storage stability of biodiesel was examined according to the ASTM D4625 12-week procedure, and best results were found at a concentration level of 2500 ppm. The specific objective of this investigation is to develop models to determine the viscosity of biodiesel at any time “t” during long-term storage based on these experimental trials for upto 12 weeks. In addition, the models were used to predict the level of antioxidants that are to be added to biodiesel in order to minimize the effects of oxidative degradation during storage. The developed model recorded an adjusted R² of 0.86 and a modeling efficiency of 0.88.