High Vacuum Fractional Distillation (HVFD) Approach for Quality and Performance Improvement of Azadirachta indica Biodiesel

Bazgha Ijaz, Muhammad Asif Hanif, Umer Rashid, Muhammad Zubair, Zahid Mushtaq, Haq Nawaz, Thomas Shean Yaw Choong and Imededdine Arbi Nehdi
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Bazgha Ijaz: Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Muhammad Asif Hanif: Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Umer Rashid: Institute of Advanced Technology, University Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
Muhammad Zubair: Department of Chemistry, University of Gujrat, Gujrat 50700, Pakistan
Zahid Mushtaq: Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Haq Nawaz: Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Thomas Shean Yaw Choong: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
Imededdine Arbi Nehdi: Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 1145, Saudi Arabia

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Biodiesel offers an advantage only if it can be used as a direct replacement for ordinary diesel. There are many reasons to promote biodiesel. However, biodiesel cannot get wide acceptance until its drawbacks have been overcome including poor low temperature flow properties, variation in the quality of biodiesel produced from different feedstocks and fuel filter blocking. In the present study, a much cheaper and simpler method called high vacuum fractional distillation (HVFD) has been used as an alternative to produce high-quality refined biodiesel and to improve on the abovementioned drawbacks of biodiesel. The results of the present study showed that none of biodiesel sample produced from crude Azadirachta indica (neem) oil met standard biodiesel cetane number requirements. The high vacuum fractional distillation (HVFD) process improved the cetane number of produced biodiesels which ranged from 44–87.3. Similarly, biodiesel produced from fractionated Azadirachta indica oil has shown lower iodine values (91.2) and much better cloud (−2.6 °C) and pour point (−4.9 °C) than pure Azadirachta indica oil. In conclusion, the crude oil needs to be vacuum fractioned for superior biodiesel production for direct utilization in engine and consistent quality production.

Keywords: biodiesel; vacuum fractionation; transesterification; fuel; fatty acids composition (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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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