BLENDING STUDY OF PALM OIL METHYL ESTERS WITH JATROPHA OIL METHYL ESTERS TO IMPROVE FUEL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Palm oil methyl esters (POMEs) showed high induction period (IP) of 21.15 h whereas Jatropha oil methyl esters (JOMEs) exhibitedsignificantly lower value of 4.6 h. The IP of JOMEs was improved during the blending with POMEs. Gas Chromatography (GC) analysis ofblended biodiesel indicated the reduction in saturated fatty acids and increase in unsaturated fatty acids as compared to pure POMEs. Due toreduction in saturated fatty acids of blended biodiesel, a significant improvement was observed in the cold flow properties. Moreover,important fuel properties i.e. kinematic viscosity, water content, density and acid values of POMEs and JOMEs and their blends weredetermined. All the tested fuel properties were within the specified permissible limits of biodiesel standards (ASTM D6751 and EN 14214). Keywords: Palm oil; Jatropha oil; Gas chromatography; Induction period; Cold flow properties.