Fatty Acid Methyl Esters from the Herbal Industry Wastes as a Potential Feedstock for Biodiesel Production

Aneta Sienkiewicz, Alicja Piotrowska-Niczyporuk and Andrzej Bajguz
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Aneta Sienkiewicz: Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Environmental Management, Bialystok University of Technology, Wiejska 45E Street, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland
Alicja Piotrowska-Niczyporuk: Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Bialystok, Ciolkowskiego 1J Street, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland
Andrzej Bajguz: Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Bialystok, Ciolkowskiego 1J Street, 15-245 Bialystok, Poland

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-21

Abstract: Due to thegrowing awareness of fossil fuel depletion and environmental issues, biodiesel alternative fuel is currently of substantial interest. This research assessed herbal industry wastes as a potential resource for biodiesel production for the first time. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), obtained in the transesterification reaction, were extracted from the herbal samples by ultrasound-assisted extraction and identified withgas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. The presence of at least 20 (e.g., in chamomile and chicory) FAMEs, up to 31 in nettle and senna, was reported. The unsaturated FAMEs were found in higher amounts than saturated. Linoleic acidwas the major polyunsaturated FAME in herbal wastes, while palmitic acid was the major saturated FAME. The highest content of FAMEs was identified in rye bran, Figure tea, and chicory. According to the cetane number prediction, BS EN 14214:2012+A2:2019, and hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC)wastes from, e.g., nettle, sage, and senna, are the most suitable in biodiesel production with fuel properties acceptable by the EuropeanStandards.Principal component analysis and HCPC allowed to classify and groupsimilar plants according to their FAMEs content; however, additional studies of herbal biofuel properties are needed.

Keywords: biofuel; cetane number prediction; FAME; HCPC; herbal clustering; postproduction plant wastes; PCA; renewable energy; transesterification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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