Survey on Antioxidants Used as Additives to Improve Biodiesel’s Stability to Degradation through Oxidation

Abstract

A major problem that limits the use of biodiesel is maintaining the fuel at the specified standards for a longer period. Biodiesel oxidizes much more easily than diesel, and the final oxidation products change its physical and chemical properties and cause the formation of insoluble gums that can block fuel filters and the supply pipes. This instability of biodiesel is a major problem and has not yet been satisfactorily resolved. Recently, the use of biodiesel has increased quite a lot, but the problem related to oxidation could become a significant impediment. A promising and cost-effective approach to improving biodiesel’s stability is to add appropriate antioxidants. Antioxidants work better or less effectively in different biodiesel fuels, and there is no one-size-fits-all inhibitor for every type of biodiesel fuel. To establish a suitable antioxidant for a certain type of biodiesel, it is necessary to know the chemistry of the antioxidants and factors that influence their effectiveness against biodiesel oxidation. Most studies on the use of antioxidants to improve the oxidative stability of biodiesel have been conducted independently. This study presents an analysis of these studies and mentions factors that must be taken into account for the choice of antioxidants so that the storage stability of biodiesel fuels can be improved.