Physical, Chemical, and Performance Properties of Biodiesel Fuels: A Comparative Study of Lipid-Based Feedstocks

Sergii Boichenko, Anna Yakovlieva (), Stepan Zubenko and Iryna Shkilniuk
Additional contact information
Sergii Boichenko: Institute of Energy Safety and Energy Management, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, 03056 Kyiv, Ukraine
Anna Yakovlieva: Institute of Energy Safety and Energy Management, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, 03056 Kyiv, Ukraine
Stepan Zubenko: Institute of Energy Safety and Energy Management, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, 03056 Kyiv, Ukraine
Iryna Shkilniuk: Institute of Energy Safety and Energy Management, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, 03056 Kyiv, Ukraine

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-25

Abstract: Contemporary climate challenges and energy security issues once again demonstrate that the transition to alternative motor fuels is a key and priority task for ensuring sustainable development in European Union countries, as well as in Ukraine. This review provides a comparative analysis of the physical, chemical, and performance properties of biodiesel fuels derived from 17 lipid-based feedstocks, including vegetable oils, animal fats, food industry waste, and microalgae. This study investigates the influence of fatty acid composition and transesterification alcohol type on key fuel properties, including density, viscosity, cetane number, pour point, heat value, and flash point. The results show that biodiesel fuels with a high content of saturated fatty acids exhibit higher cetane numbers and energy content, while biodiesel fuels with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids possess improved viscosity and cold flow properties. Camelina, rapeseed, and used cooking oil are identified as being particularly promising feedstocks based on their performance and availability in the European and Ukrainian dimensions. These findings are supported by a SWOT analysis and cost–benefit comparison, providing practical insights into the feasibility and scalability of biodiesel production pathways.

Keywords: biodiesel; lipid biomass; vegetable oil; animal fat; fatty acid; alcohol; composition; properties (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: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/16/4274/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/16/4274/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:16:p:4274-:d:1722154

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().