Variability in sunflower oil quality for biodiesel production: A simulation study

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Gustavo A. Pereyra-Irujo ; Natalia G. Izquierdo ; Mauro Covi ; Susana M. Nolasco ; Facundo Quiroz ; Luis A.N. Aguirrezá ; bal
• 关键词：Biodiesel ; Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) ; Quality ; Cetane number ; Iodine value ; Temperature ; High-oleic hybrid
• 刊名：Biomass and Bioenergy
• 出版年：2009
• 出版时间：March 2009
• 年：2009
• 卷：33
• 期：3
• 页码：459-468
• 全文大小：646 K

文摘

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from vegetable oils or animal fats. The fatty acid composition of the feedstock, which varies among and within species, is the main determinant of biodiesel quality. In this work we analyze the variability in biodiesel quality (density, kinematic viscosity, heating value, cetane number and iodine value) obtained from sunflower oil, by means of a validated crop model that predicts the fatty acid composition of one high-oleic, and three traditional (high-linoleic) sunflower hybrids. The model was run with a 10-year average weather data from 56 weather stations in Argentina, and simulation results were compared to the biodiesel standards of Argentina, USA and Europe. We show that biodiesel produced from sunflower oil does not have one fixed quality, but different qualities depending on weather conditions and agricultural practices, and that intraspecific variation in biodiesel quality can be larger than interspecific differences. Our results suggest that (a) sunflower oil from high-oleic hybrids is suitable for biodiesel production (within limits of all analyzed standards), regardless of growing conditions and (b) sunflower oil from traditional hybrids is suitable for biodiesel production under the standards of Argentina and USA, while only certain hybrids grown in warm regions (e.g., Northern Argentina, Southern USA, China, India, Pakistan) are suitable for biodiesel production according to the European standard.