Side Effect of Production of Biodiesel from Jatropha Seed Oil: A Case Study in Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this research is to produce biodiesel from the jatropha seed oil and compare its lubricating properties to other types of fuel used in a compression ignition engine. The optimum mixture is also investigated. The produced biodiesel is tested to determine its identity and purity. The result showed that its purity is 98.38%, which is higher than 96.5% as specified by the standard of Department of Energy Business. The resulting biodiesel is tested in a compression ignition engine, including as an additive to stabilize the ethanol in diesel oil. The four types of fuel blends are; diesohol with a proportion of diesel : ethanol : biodiesel D95E5B5 by volume, pure biodiesel from jatropha seed oil, biodiesel with low proportion D95B5, and a standard diesel oil. The test results of physical properties of the four types of fuel show that all meets the standard of high speed diesel oil, except the flash point property of the diesohol. To compare the lubricating properties, each type of the fuel has been tested with the High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR) according the CEC-F-06-A-96 standard. The results showed that the pure biodiesel from jatropha seed oil, biodiesel D95B5 and diesohol D95E5B5 have the wear scar 169 μm, 204 μm, and 205 μm respectively. The wear scar of each type of the studied fuels is below the allowable standard wear scar 460 μm.