Geoffroea decorticansfor Biofuels: A Promising Feedstock

Abstract

In this work, chañar (Geoffroea decorticans) fruit is evaluated as a potential feedstock for biodiesel and biomass pellets production with reference to some relevant properties. The fatty acid profile of this oil (83% unsaturated acids) is found to be comparable to similar seed oils which have been attempted for biodiesel production. As a result, the methyl esters (biodiesel) obtained from this oil exhibits high quality properties. Chañar biodiesel quality meets all other biodiesel international standards (ASTM D6751 and EN 14214). Moreover, the husk that surrounds the kernel showed a high potential for usage as densified solid fuels. The results demonstrate that chañar husks pellets have a higher calorific value when compared with other biomass pellets, typically, approximately 21 MJ kg−1with 1.8% of ashes (which is equivalent to that obtained from the combustion of pellets produced from forest wastes). This study indicates that chañar can be used as a multipurpose energy crop in semiarid regions for biodiesel and densified solid fuels (pellets) production.