Diesel fuels from vegetable oils
Vegetable oils have heat contents approximately 90% that of diesel fuel and are potential alternate fuel candidates. A major obstacle deterring their use in the direct-injection diesel engine is their inherent high viscosities which are nearly 10 times that of diesel fuel. Solution to the viscosity problem has been approached in three ways: 1) microemulsification, 2) pyrolysis, and 3) transesterification. Microemulsification with short chain alcohols such as methanol and ethanol yields fuels that are clear, thermodynamically stable liquid systems with viscosities near the ASTM specified range for number2 diesel fuel. These micellar systems may be formulated ionically or nonionically. The alcohols are attractive from an economic as well as a renewable resource viewpoint. Methanol has an economic advantage over ethanol, and it can be derived from a large variety of base stocks. These include biomass, municipal waste, natural gas being flared at refineries and from coal. Pyrolysis of vegetable oils is another approach to lowering their viscosity. Soybean and safflower oils were thermally decomposed in both air and nitrogen to obtain fuels for the diesel engine. Using standard ASTM distillation conditions, yields of pyrolysis products were about 75%. GS-MS analysis of the distillates showed the presence of alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, and carboxylic acids with carbon numbers ranging from 4 to more than 20. Fuel properties of the thermal decomposition products were substantially improved as evaluated by lower viscosities and higher cetane numbers compared to the unpyrrolyzed vegetable oils. Simple esters from transesterification of vegetable oils perform well in engine tests, and thus show good promise as an alternative or emergency fuel for diesel engines.
- Research Organization:
- Northern Regional Research Center, USDA/ARS, 1815 N. Univ. Street, Peoria, IL
- OSTI ID:
- 5596337
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-860425-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Pet. Chem., Prepr.; (United States), Vol. 31:1; Conference: 191. American Chemical Society national meeting, New York, NY, USA, 13 Apr 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
DIESEL ENGINES
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
VEGETABLE OILS
EMULSIFICATION
ESTERIFICATION
PYROLYSIS
VISCOSITY
BIOMASS
CALORIFIC VALUE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COAL
DIESEL FUELS
DISTILLATES
ETHANOL
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
METHANOL
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
MICROEMULSIONS
NATURAL GAS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
QUANTITY RATIO
SOYBEAN OIL
STABILITY
SYNTHETIC FUELS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
ALCOHOLS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLLOIDS
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
EMULSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINES
ESTERS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
HEAT ENGINES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
LIPIDS
MATERIALS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SPECTROSCOPY
TESTING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRIGLYCERIDES
090110* - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Properties- (1979-1989)
330102 - Internal Combustion Engines- Diesel
330800 - Emission Control- Alternative Fuels