Selecting Biofuel Obtained from Sunan Pecan Oil for Diesel Engine Fuel

Abstract

In search of biofuel as sustainable energy alternatives for anticipating the gradually decreasing fossil fuel that surely would affect engine performances of industrial machinery as a whole, the research herewith was aimed to confirm that oil obtained from compressing Sunan pecan seeds (Reutalis trisperma) is the suitable unedible raw oil material to be processed. By carrying out esterification and transesterification processes, the oil became biofuel which consists of various forms of long-chains components of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). To make it usable for diesel engine, steps of further processes have been done, i.e., purification and fractionation to produce FAME of single fatty acid components as well as selecting them by PROMETHEE method. The result showed that FAME with single unfractionated fatty acid components was closed to diesel oil characteristics and so the most appropriate biofuel for internal combustion engine.

Selection of Indigenous Algal Species for Potential Biodiesel Production

“…High unsaturation levels may result in the polymerization of glycerides and the synthesis of deposits 43 . In comparison to biodiesel from vegetable oils 42 most of the estimated Iodine Value for the biodiesels from the algal and blue-green algal species (Table 4 4) were below than, or similar to palm oil (48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56), indicative of lesser susceptibility to oxidative attack. Saturated fatty acids have higher melting points in compare to unsaturated fatty acids.…”

“…It is, so, essential to achieve a balance between Cetane Number and cold-flow properties. Fatty Acid Methyl Esters that attain this balance are the monounsaturated methyl hexadecenoate (C16:1) and methyl octadecenoate (C18:1) 48,49 . Biofuels rich in these Fatty Acid Methyl Esters will have good enough Cetane Numbers, viscosities, and cold-flow parameters.…”