Improvement of Fuel Property and the Lightening of Various Biodiesel by Metathesis Reaction

Abstract

Biodiesel fuel (Fatty acid methyl ester: FAME) shows high boiling temperature, so that it allows to accumulate in the engine oil, causing the premature engine wear. Recently, it was reported that the boiling behavior of biodiesel is adjusted to that of petro-diesel fuel by the cross-metathesis reaction with GrubbsII catalyst. In this study, the changes of molecule and fuel properties of PME, JME, RME, SME, and WME by cross-metathesis reaction was experimentally investigated. The cross-metathesis reaction of FAME and 1-hexene with Umicore M51 catalyst was carried out at 40 degree-C. From the experimental result, it is found that the long-chain length unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters components; C18:1, C18:2, C18:3, were converted to low & middle chain length fatty acid methyl esters, and the cold flow property of fuel is improved, but the oxidation stability is decreased.