Production and Testing of Butyl and Methyl Esters as New Generation Biodiesels from Fatty Wastes of the Leather Industry

Dariusz Kurczyński, Grzegorz Wcisło, Agnieszka Leśniak, Miłosław Kozak and Piotr Łagowski ()
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Dariusz Kurczyński: Department of Automotive Vehicles and Transportation, Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, 25-314 Kielce, Poland
Grzegorz Wcisło: Department of Bioprocess Engineering, Energy and Automation, Faculty of Production Engineering and Power Technologies, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
Agnieszka Leśniak: Department of General Chemistry, Institute of Quality and Product Management Sciences, Cracow University of Economics, 31-510 Kraków, Poland
Miłosław Kozak: Institute of Combustion Engines and Powertrain, Faculty of Civil and Transport Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznań, Poland
Piotr Łagowski: Department of Automotive Vehicles and Transportation, Faculty of Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, 25-314 Kielce, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-20

Abstract: Climate changes caused by the greenhouse effect make it necessary to look for new sources of energy. One of them is waste of a biological origin. They are often difficult to dispose of and such a process can be expensive. Increasingly, they are used to produce biofuels that can replace petroleum-based fuels. They are also an alternative to food-based biofuels. The aim of the work was to propose a method of using fatty waste generated in a plant dealing with tanning animal skins and to evaluate the properties of the produced biofuels. The authors decided to use this waste to produce biodiesel. A patented reactor and technology developed by one of the co-authors was used for this purpose. Two alcohols, butyl and methyl, were used to produce esters in the transesterification process. Animal fats butyl esters (AFBE) and animal fats methyl esters (AFME) have been produced. A high efficiency of the transesterification process was obtained. It amounted to 99.2 (wt.%) for AFME and 98.9 (wt.%) for AFBE. The physicochemical properties of AFBE and AFME biodiesels, diesel fuel, and mixtures of these biodiesels and diesel fuel were tested. Most of the tested properties of AFBE were more favourable than those of AFME. The produced AFBE in relation to AFME was characterized by better cetane number, heat of combustion and calorific value, density, dynamic viscosity, kinematic viscosity, and flash point. For example, the kinematic viscosity for AFBE was 3.6 mm 2 /s and for AFME 4.1 mm 2 /s. In contrast, the calorific value of AFBE biodiesel was 39.2 MJ/kg, and that of AFME biodiesel was 38.4 MJ/kg. The use of butanol from the point of view of the properties of the produced biodiesel turned out to be more advantageous in relation to methanol. Due to the fact that the production uses waste fat, the produced biodiesels can be regarded as second-generation biofuels. Producing biodiesel from waste is a way to utilize waste and is beneficial in terms of environmental protection. It can be a way to increase the share of biofuels in the energy balance of regions where large amounts of fat waste products of animal origin are available.

Keywords: biofuel; biodiesel; second generation biofuels; waste animal fats; transesterification process; animal fats butyl esters; animal fats methyl esters; motor fuels testing; fuel parameters (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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