Experimental Investigation of the Oxidation of Methyl Oleate: One of the Major Biodiesel Fuel Components

摘要

As a new oxygenated fuel, the mechanistic connection between the emission of carbonyl compounds and biodiesel remains unknown, which warrants further study. Although currently unregulated, some of these carbonyl compounds are known to have adverse health and environmental impacts. This chapter provides an overview of the benefits of the biodiesel fuel, the air pollutants emitted from the use of various biodiesel blends, both regulated and unregulated. With increased biodiesel use, the evolvement of mechanistic studies from short chain and saturated to the long chain and unsaturated methyl esters also have been observed in recent years. This chapter summarized existing mechanistic studies, followed by a temperature series of the thermal decomposition of methyl oleate (C18:1), one of the major components in biodiesel. The temperature series range from 200 to 900 °C, and the main byproducts include carbon dioxide, light (C1-C4) hydrocarbons, carbonyl compounds, methyl esters, organic acids, and alcohols, etc.