Diesel-biodiesel blend synthesis and characterization-biofuel for electrical generators and industrial applications

Abstract

The scarcity of diesel fuel and its negative environmental effects are a main concern nowadays. The usage of biodiesel was suggested and is applied in few countries as an environmental friendly replacement for diesel. Biodiesel could be obtained in many ways. In this project, waste cooking oil was transformed by homogeneous transesterification using 1.15g of alkali catalyst (potassium hydroxide) and 32 ml of methanol. The oil to alcohol ratio used was 6:1 by mass. This project focuses on finding the best blending percentage of biodiesel with red diesel according to the Lebanese and the “Tripoli and Zahrani” regulations for red diesel. Results showed that 55% is the best percentage of biodiesel to be used in Lebanon. Its characteristics were compared to that of diesel and pure biodiesel. B55 showed an important criterion which is its high cetane number. The obtained value was 60.7.