Regresar

Rheological behavior and properties of biodiesel and vegetable oil from Moringo oleifera Lam

Abstract:

Moringa oleifera Lam. is an oilseed crop with potential for biodiescl production. The fatty acid profile of M. oleifera oil differs of other common vegetable oils used as biodiesel feedstocks, influencing fuel properties. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of catalyst concentration and stirring speed on the M. oleifera methyl esters yield and the dynamic viscosity. An assessment of the physicochemical characteristics and the rheological behavior of M. oleifera methyl esters were also tasks. The best condition of the design of experiments for both response variables was achieved for 500 rpm and a catalyst concentration of 0.5%, obtaining the highest methyl esters yield (91.5%) and the lowest dynamic viscosity (3.90 mPa-s). The fuel properties of M. oleifera biodiesel are in agreement with EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. The rheological behavior of M. oleifera oil was found to be Newtonian, however biodiesel was found to be dilatant.