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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #349494
Research Project: Value-added Bio-oil Products and Processes

Location: Bio-oils Research

Title: Correlating the cold flow and melting properties of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) mixtures

Author
item Dunn, Robert

Submitted to: American Oil Chemists' Society Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/26/2018
Publication Date: 5/6/2018
Citation: Dunn, R.O. 2018. Correlating the cold flow and melting properties of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) mixtures [abstract]. American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting & Expo. Industrial Oil Products Division. p. 47.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) mixtures derived from plant oils or animal fats are used to make biodiesel, lubricants, surfactants, plasticizers, ink solvents, paint strippers and other products. Processing requires a precise knowledge of the physico-chemical properties of mixtures with diverse and changing fatty acid concentration profiles. FAME mixtures can become problematic if ambient temperatures cause them to gel or solidify during processing. This work examines mathematical correlation models for calculating the cloud point (CP) and cold filter plugging point (CFPP) of multi-component FAME mixtures (biodiesel) based on composition and the melting properties of the FAME species present. To obtain a diverse set of measured property data, binary admixtures were prepared made with biodiesel fuels made from the oils of canola, palm, soybean and yellow grease. Two models were developed in the present study. The solid-liquid equilibrium (SLE) model correlated CP and CFPP to the SLE temperatures of admixtures calculated from the freezing point depression theory. This model yielded close to a 1:1 correlation between calculated and measured cold flow properties for the admixtures. The MODified Empirical Correlation (MODEC) model was developed by correlating the inverse of CP or CFPP (1/T) to the natural log of the total methyl palmitate concentration in the FAME mixtures. This model performed nearly as well as the SLE model despite the presence of small concentrations of other saturated-FAME in the admixtures.