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Title: Surface Tension Measurements of Chemically Modified Oleochemical

Author
item Doll, Kenneth - Ken
item SHARMA, BRAJENDRA - PENN ST. UNIVERSITY
item Moser, Bryan
item ERHAN, SEVIM - ERRC

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2009
Publication Date: 5/3/2009
Citation: Doll, K.M., Sharma, B.K., Moser, B.R., Erhan, S.Z. 2009. Surface Tension Measurements of Chemically Modified Oleochemical [abstract]. American Oil Chemists' Society. p. 86.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Surface tension is an important physical property of a substance, which plays a part in a variety of physical phenomenon relevant to many industrial processes. For example, the efficiency of the atomization of a fuel has been shown to be effected dramatically by surface tension and viscosity. Because we have synthesized a variety of different materials based on soybean oil, and they have potential use in both the fuel and lubrication industries, we decided a surface tension study was needed. A variety of alkyl esters, with varied functional groups in their fatty chains, were systematically studied. The surface tensions measured for each of the compounds ranged from 25.9 mN m-1 to 30.2 mN m-1, showing that we have reduced the surface tension from the typical triacylglyceride value of ~35 mN m-1. Generally, we observed that addition of an alkyl ester to the middle of the fatty chains decreases surface tension, where as epoxidation increases it slightly. Finally, mixtures of these compounds with diesel fuels have surface tensions which can be roughly estimated from the surface tension of the components.