“Designer” Biodiesel: Optimizing Fatty Ester Composition to Improve Fuel Properties
Abstract
Biodiesel is a domestic and renewable alternative with the potential to replace some of the petrodiesel market. It is obtained from vegetable oils, animal fats, or other sources with a significant content of triacylglycerols by means of a transesterification reaction. The fatty acid profile of biodiesel thus corresponds to that of the parent oil or fat and is a major factor influencing fuel properties. Besides being renewable and of domestic origin, advantages of biodiesel compared to petrodiesel include biodegradability, higher flash point, reduction of most regulated exhaust emissions, miscibility in all ratios with petrodiesel, compatibility with the existing fuel distribution infrastructure, and inherent lubricity. Technical problems with biodiesel include oxidative stability, cold flow, and increased NO x exhaust emissions. Solutions to one of these problems often entail increasing the problematic behavior of another property and have included the use of additives or modifying the fatty acid composition, either through physical processes, such as winterization, or through genetic modification. Methyl oleate has been proposed as a suitable major component of biodiesel in this connection. In this work, the properties of various potential major components of biodiesel are examined and compared. For example, while methyl oleate has been suggested as such a major component, methyl palmitoleate has advantages compared to methyl oleate, especially with regards to low-temperature properties. Other materials that are examined in this connection are short-chain (C 8 −C 10 ) saturated esters, with only C 10 esters appearing suitable. It is also suggested that to obtain biodiesel fuel with favorable properties, it is advantageous for the fuel to consist of only one major component in as high a concentration as possible; however, mixtures of components with advantageous properties as described here may also be acceptable.
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Low cetane numbers are associated with shorter chain lengths and an increase in the level of unsaturation in the fatty acid.
“Low cetane numbers are associated with shorter chain lengths and an increase in the level of unsaturation in the fatty acid.”
From Renewable energy from Cyanobacteria: energy production optimization by metabolic pathway engineering (2011) · cites this paper as Knothe 2008
A high content in unsaturated fatty acids decreases oil oxidation stability, while biodiesel consisting of saturated long chain fatty acids shows poor cold-flow properties.
“Moreover, a high content in unsaturated fatty acids is responsible for decreasing the oil oxidation stability while biodiesel consisting of saturated long chain fatty acids shows poor cold-flow properties (Knothe 2008; Pinzi et al. 2009).”
From Renewable energy from Cyanobacteria: energy production optimization by metabolic pathway engineering (2011) · cites this paper as Knothe 2008
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- Authors
- Knothe, G.
- Affiliations
- Agricultural Research Service (US)
- Corresponding author
- Knothe, Gerhard
- ORCID
- Knothe, Gerhard
- Venue
- Energy & Fuels
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2008-02-19
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 1358-1364
- ISSN
- 0887-0624 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5029
- OpenAlex
- W2025097672
- Cited by
- 1,291
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 77 · 2020: 73 · 2019: 114 · 2018: 93 · 2017: 86 · 2016: 112 · 2015: 92 · 2014: 103 · 2013: 79 · 2012: 91
- FWCI
- 39.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Energy & Fuels (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Biodiesel Production and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes › Advanced Combustion Engine Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Catalysis and Hydrodesulfurization Studies
- Keywords
- biodiesel, fatty acid composition, methyl oleate, fuel properties, cold flow properties, oxidative stability, NOx emissions, winterization, fuel additives, transesterification, triglycerides
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