Abstract
The incorporation of renewable fuels into the current fuel infrastructure requires a greater understanding of the impact of long term storage conditions of these fuels and their blends. In certain applications, especially those pertaining to the military, there is a high likelihood of exposure to marine environments, allowing for intimate mixing of fuels with water. Incorporation of water into fuels can lead to fuel degradation and enhance microbial contamination and growth, all of which impact storage and the ultimate usability of the fuels. Through the context of equilibrium water and dissolved salt concentration, properties of an algal hydrotreated renewable diesel (HRD), petroleum diesel (F76), soy-based fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) biodiesel and blends of 50/50 HRD/F76 and 5/95 FAME/F76 were investigated. Samples with the greatest equilibrium water content, the biodiesel and biodiesel blend, showed the highest incorporation of salts in samples unexposed to microbial growth. HRD, F76, and HRD/F76 blend samples were exposed to microbial growth and examined for selected physical properties and metals concentration. The blended HRD/F76 showed the highest microbial growth as well as the most metals carryover (K+ and Mg2+) of the samples investigated.
Highlights
IntroductionMounting concern over energy independence, reducing carbon emissions, and government mandates and incentives have led to a significant increase in the use of fuels derived from renewable sources, including biofuels, alternative fuels (drop-in fuels) and petroleumbio fuel blends [1,2,3]
Mounting concern over energy independence, reducing carbon emissions, and government mandates and incentives have led to a significant increase in the use of fuels derived from renewable sources, including biofuels, alternative fuels and petroleumbio fuel blends [1,2,3]
Hydrotreated renewable diesel (HRD) fuels have the advantage of high cetane values, [7,8] and they can often be used as a drop-in replacement for petroleum based fuels in existing engines, making them an attractive alternative fuel for incorporation into the current fuel infrastructure
Summary
Mounting concern over energy independence, reducing carbon emissions, and government mandates and incentives have led to a significant increase in the use of fuels derived from renewable sources, including biofuels, alternative fuels (drop-in fuels) and petroleumbio fuel blends [1,2,3]. Hydrotreated renewable diesel (HRD), is a fuel produced from the same plant or animal oils as FAME biofuels, but they are catalytically processed to produce a drop-in hydrocarbon fuel similar to the conventional petroleum-derived fuel counterparts. Contact with a marine environment creates the potential for microbial growth and fuel degradation Alternative fuels and their blends with conventional petroleum based diesel have been shown to promote microbial growth, [11,12,13,14,15] which can lead to corrosion issues within storage tanks and engines as well as cause filter clogging sludge and slime [16]
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