ARS | Publication request: Oxidative Stability of Biodiesel Assessed by Various Methods

Submitted to: Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: March 1, 2006
Publication Date: April 30, 2006
Citation: Knothe, G.H. 2006. Oxidative stability of biodiesel assessed by various methods [abstract]. 97th American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting and Expo. p. 69.

Technical Abstract: Biodiesel, an alternative diesel fuel derived from vegetable oils, animal fats or used frying oils, is technically competitive with petroleum-derived diesel fuel. One of the major technical fuel quality issues facing biodiesel is its stability when exposed to air. Numerous analytical methods have been applied to assessing biodiesel quality under such exposure. One method that had not been applied in the past is proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). NMR spectra provide a wealth of information on the composition of fatty materials, including the fatty acid composition. Therefore, oxidized biodiesel was now investigated by 1H-NMR for its fatty acid composition. The results are compared to those obtained by other methods such as kinematic viscosity and acid value. Also investigated by NMR was the effect of the surface to volume ratio on the oxidation of biodiesel.