TITLE:
Effects of Fatty Acids Composition on Fuel Properties of Jatropha Curcas Biodiesel
AUTHORS:
Edwin Khethiwe, Ketlogetswe Clever, Gandure Jerekias
KEYWORDS:
Jatropha Curcas, Fatty Acids, Fuel Quality, Engine Performance
JOURNAL NAME:
Smart Grid and Renewable Energy,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
30,
2020
ABSTRACT: In the
efforts to reduce effects of climate change, biodiesel fuels from plant oils
such as Jatropha curcas have been
proposed as alternative fuels which can be used in the transportation sector in
diesel engines. The current study investigates the effects of fatty acids
composition on fuel properties of biodiesel derived from Jatropha curcas seeds obtained from selected regions of Botswana.
The physicochemical fuel properties investigated include kinematic viscosity,
flash point, energy content, density, pour point and cloud point from derived Jatropha curcas biodiesel. Results of
the study showed that Jatropha curcas biodiesel samples for all regions under review are dominated by unsaturated
fatty acids which are desirable for cold flow properties and kinematic
viscosity of the biodiesel fuel. The major fatty acids in Jatropha curcas biodiesel fuels from all the regions range from 69.00% to 77.81% of unsaturated fatty acids. The overall results
conclude that fatty acids composition has influence on the fuel properties of
the biodiesel under investigated.