The thermal cracking of canola and soybean methyl esters: Improvement of cold flow properties

A study was performed to evaluate the use of thermal cracking to overcome cold flow and stability limitations of current biodiesel. Experiments were conducted in a batch cracking reactor system using soy methyl ester and canola methyl ester feedstocks. The amount of high-MW C(16)-C(24) FAMEs was reduced from nearly 100% in the original feedstock by an order of magnitude. Yields of desirable cracking product ranged from 70 to 85% while cloud and pour points decreased around 20 degrees C and 15 degrees C, respectively. The stability of the fuel was improved by converting all of the unsaturated esters into lower-MW saturated esters. This method may lead to an attractive process to produce an improved biodiesel that is more conductive to cold temperature utilization and more stable during storage. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.