Comparative corrosive characteristics of petroleum diesel and palm biodiesel for automotive materials

Effects of Adding Some Natural Substances to Biodiesel to Control its Effect on Carbon Steel Corrosion

“…Another relevant subject consists of the fact that biodiesel is thirty times more hygroscopic than mineral diesel and it means that biodiesel has greater natural tendency to absorb humidity. As a consequence, the water in biodiesel may condense over the metal surface or accelerate the hydrolysis reactions, affecting its quality 2,4 . Besides the presence of water, the water temperature, the contact with air and the light incidence favor the increase of biodiesel corrosivity 1,[4][5][6][7] .…”

“…This liberation works as a catalyst of chemical reactions in the formation of free radicals. Thus, biodiesel degradation speeds up 4,6,7 . Due to biodiesel low hydrolytic and oxidative stability, its storage is a critical factor because it may change the quality of the product and promote a corrosion that would be practically null with the use of petroleum diesel [1][2][3]5 .…”

Corrosiveness of Fuels During Storage Processes

“…Corrosion pits were also observed on carbon-steel and cast-iron surfaces. A research team of Fazal reported, in [7], their findings on the effect of palm-oil biodiesel on the structural materials of engine components, and compared their findings with similar tests on the conventional diesel fuel. Their findings indicate that the extent of corrosion was higher for biodiesel, compared with diesel fuel.…”

“…Moreover, oxidative polymerization may lead to the formation of macromolecular chemical compounds [10]. Thus, oxidation of biodiesel intensifies its corrosive effect, affecting the physico-chemical properties of the fuel [7]. The corrosiveness of biodiesel is also connected with the presence in it of contaminants, such as: water, alcohol, free fatty acids.…”

Corrosion testing of a diesel engine common rail system using various types of biodiesel

“…The corrosion rates of copper, aluminum and stainless steel were approximately 0.586, 0.202 and 0.015 mm/year, respectively [4].…”