Predicting cetane number, kinematic viscosity, density and higher heating value of biodiesel from its fatty acid methyl ester composition

Biodiesel is a renewable bio-fuel derived from natural fats or vegetable oils, and it is considered as a promising alternative to substitute diesel fuels. Cetane number, viscosity, density, and higher heating value are important properties to affect the utilization of biodiesel fuels, because they are involved in the definition of fuel quality and are required as input data for predictive engine combustion models. This work presents the characterization of two biodiesel samples made from beef tallow and soybean oil through their fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profile. Empirical equations were developed to estimate four physical properties of methyl esters; and an average absolute deviation (AAD) of 5.95%, 2.57%, 0.11% and 0.21% for the cetane number, kinematic viscosity, density, and higher heating value were founded. Cetane number, viscosity, and higher heating value increases because of the increase of molecular weight and these physical properties decrease as the number of double bonds increases. Unlike that of above properties, density decreases as molecular weight increases and density increases as the degree of unsaturation increases. Two general mixing rules and five biodiesel samples were used to study the influence of FAMEs over the physical properties of biodiesel. The prediction of the cetane number, kinematic viscosity, density and higher heating value of biodiesel is very close to the experimental values. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.