A comparative study of stability characteristics of mahua and jatropha biodiesel and their blends

Abstract

Now-a-days biodiesel is gaining attention for its positive impact on the environment. The vegetable oils are major sources of biodiesel. For biodiesel programme in India, jatropha (Jatropha curas) has been identified as one of the most suitable tree borne non-edible oil seed. But its major drawback is its poor oxidation stability. The mahua (Madhuca indica) is another tree borne non-edible oil seed found in India and its production potential is about 60 MT per annum. Its oil content is around 35–40% and its calorific value is close to that of mineral diesel. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study and compare the oxidation and storage stability of mahua biodiesel with that of jatropha biodiesel and mineral diesel. To improve the oxidation stability, the biodiesels have been blended with mineral diesel and it has been found that 20% blended jatropha biodiesel (JB20) and 30% blended mahua biodiesel (MB30) satisfy the EN-590 limit of 20hrs. When both the biodiesels are blended in different proportions, the 50:50 mixtures by volume satisfy the EN-14214 limit of 6hrs. For the storage stability study, the different biodiesel samples have been stored in a specified conditions for 8 fortnights (120days) period and the different properties like density, kinematic viscosity, flash point and acid number of the samples have been measured. It has been found that the rate of change in values of the properties is higher in case of jatropha biodiesel and its blends than that of mahua biodiesel and its blends.