Physicochemical properties of fuel compositions obtained from diesel fuel and different kinds of fatty raw material

Increased interest in development of alternative fuels used to power combustion engines is caused by excessive use of fuels obtained from mineral sources. Depletion of resources, political aspects as well as the negative impact on the environment are commonly discussed issues in relation to fossil fuels. On the other hand, biodegradability, lower toxic components emissions and interchangeability with mineral fuels are commonly described benefits related to biodiesel, interpreted as fatty acid methyl esters obtained from fatty raw material. Also the multiplicity of raw materials that can be used for production promotes popularization of the biodiesel. However the variety of raw materials can have significant impact on the number of physicochemical properties of alternative fuels due to the differences in molecular structures forming given type of raw material. The article presents analysis of properties of different types of biodiesel and its mixtures with diesel according to the outlines presented in the quality standards for mineral and alternative fuels. Alternative fuels were produced in the laboratory setup from swine, poultry, rape and sunflower fatty raw material. Such parameters as: density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, acid value, oxidation stability, cold filter plugging point, sulphur content, water content and total contamination were examined, based on the results, the quality of the biofuels was evaluated. Study confirms that biofuels derived from plant origin fatty raw material present favorable results in the aspect water content, total contamination, acid value and cold flow properties, thus biofuels derived from animal origin raw fatty material presents lower density and sulphur content.