Effects of partial hydrogenation, epoxidation, and hydroxylation on the fuel properties of fatty acid methyl esters

The properties of biodiesel depend on the chemical structure of individual fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). In this work the chemical structure of fatty acid chains was modified by catalytic hydrogenation, epoxidation and hydroxylation under controlled conditions. Hydrolysis of ester functionality or oxidation of fatty acid chain was not observed during these reactions. The properties of hydrogenated FAME strongly depend on the hydrogenation time. The total saturated fatty acid (SFA) percentage increased from 29.3% to 76.2% after 2 h of hydrogenation. This hydrogenated FAME showed higher oxidation stability and higher cetane number but poor cold flow properties. Formation of trans FAME was observed during hydrogenation. Both hydroxylation and epoxidation resulted in a decrease of unsaturated fatty acid methyl ester (UFA) fraction. The percentages of total unsaturated FAME decreased 39% in the epoxidation reaction and 44% in the hydroxylation reaction. The addition of hydroxyl groups to the unsaturated regions of the fatty acid chain yields biodiesel with better cold flow properties, increased lubricity and slightly increased oxidative stability. However, epoxy FAME shows some interesting properties such as higher oxidation stability, higher cetane number and acceptable cold flow properties, which met the limits of ASTM D6751 biodiesel specifications.