Improvement of cold flow properties of biodiesel

Cold flow properties of biodiesel mean the mechanism of biodiesel properties in winter or cold condition. In this type of condition, biodiesel won’t work properly because biodiesel cannot flow easily and will result in engine operational problem and will be more stress-resistant. This research highlights how to improve the cold flow properties of biodiesel which is a major hurdle in cold weather or condition where biodiesel is not working in full efficiency. Thus with my research, it will be a major breakthrough for the usage of biodiesel in any weather no matter cold or warm. Pour point (PP) is defined as the lowest temperature where the biodiesel flows or can be pumped. Pour point can also be described as the lowest temperature at which a fuel performs satisfactorily and beyond this temperature, the fuel stops flowing and starts to freeze. The cloud point (CP) of the fuel is defined as the temperature where crystals become visible forming a hazy or cloudy suspension. Pour point and cloud point are the most important parameters which are involved in determining whether cold flow properties are improved or not. There are many methods used for this purpose such as winterization, fractanation and also biodiesel and petro diesel blending but the method of two types of different biodiesel just been rarely tested. Thus, I came up with this method and tried it using two types of biodiesel which are jatropha oil and palm oil. The FFA (free fatty acid) produced from both of this oil is blended in different proportion and the biodiesel is produced. After the biodiesel is produced, the samples are sent to the GCMS analysis to determine whether biodiesel is produced or not. Then, the cold flow properties are determined for each sample. The pour point, cloud point, density, viscosity and kinematic viscosity were determined. From the results, the main objective of this research is achieved where the blending of two types of biodiesel can improve the cold flow properties of biodiesel. The blended biodiesel have the lower cloud and pour point compared to the unblended biodiesel