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The aim of this study was to synthesize environmentally adapted Trimethylolpropane (TMP) esters from cottonseed and soybean oils and to examine their quality parameters and tribological properties as potential lubricant basestocks. A two stage production process was followed. At first the above mentioned vegetable oils were transformed to the corresponding methyl esters via methanolysis in the presence of sodium methoxide. The desired TMP esters were finally synthesized by alkaline transesterification of the previously produced methylesters with TMP using sodium methoxide as catalyst. Following the purification phase the physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized TMP esters were examined. The tribological properties were evaluated by employing a Four-Ball apparatus. An additive-free mineral oil base oil was used as a reference lubricating fluid.

In the frame of circular economy, wastes are perceived as sources not only for the recovery of high added-value compounds but also for energy production. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages with the consumption continuously increasing and generating huge amounts of solid residues in return. This solid waste after the extraction of the coffee beverage is known as Waste or Spent Coffee Grounds (WCG). Among others, the valorization has the potential to be directed as a bioresource for sustainable energy and particularly for the production of alternative liquid fuels for internal combustion engines. The aim of the current study is to formulate alternative fuel from WCG and to examine the fundamental properties per relevant specifications and requirements. Parameters related to stability, cold flow properties, lubricating characteristics and ignition quality are studied in comparison with other types of biodiesel fuel.

Many incidents associated with filter plugging have extensively been reported in microbially contaminated diesel and biodiesel fuel systems, especially under long term storage conditions. In this study a quantitative assessment of the undesirable insoluble solids produced in contaminated biodiesel fuels was carried out in order to evaluate their evolution rate during biodeterioration. For this purpose, a series of contaminated biodiesel fuel microcosms were prepared and stored for six months under stable conditions. The quantity of the particulate contaminants was monitored during storage by a multiple filtration technique which was followed at the end by a comparison with the active bioburden per ATP bioluminescence protocol. Additionally, identical microcosms were treated with a commercially available biocide in order to examine the latter’s activity both on solids formation and the microbial proliferation.

The diesel fuel supply chain faces new challenges associated with microbial contamination symptoms in biodiesel fuel. FAME's (Fatty Acid Methyl Esters) chemical composition along with its hygroscopic nature makes it more “biologically active” and as a result the final blends could be more prone to microbiological contamination. Survey of in-field incidents and facts in the Greek supply chain indicate that biodiesel is more prone to microbial growth. Furthermore, several experimental studies which demonstrate the susceptibility of biodiesel fuel for microbial growth have been conducted in the laboratory. The influence of FAME has been evaluated as well as the effect of microbial proliferation on the quality of the blend. Different types of biodiesel have been blended with Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel at various concentrations, and the resulting blends were mixed with bottom-water of known viable microbial colonies and stored.

The lubricating efficiency is an important property of diesel fuel since several diesel engine parts, such as pumps and injectors, are lubricated by the fuel itself only. The evolution of oxidation products during oxidative deterioration may as well affect the lubricating properties of the biodiesel fuel blends and thus the proper functioning of a diesel engine. In this study Fatty Acid Methyl Esters were produced from various types of feedstock that significantly differentiate in their fatty acid profile. Each methyl ester was blended with an Ultra Low Sulphur Automotive Diesel (ULSD) at a concentration of 7% v/v which is currently the maximum acceptable FAME content according to the European Standard EN590. The B7 biodiesel blends were evaluated regarding fundamental physicochemical properties as well as their lubricating efficiency. Oxidation stability was examined on a Rancimat apparatus according to EN 15751 standard.

The need of a more realistic and dynamic driving cycle which simulates real-world driving conditions in the largest city in the greater area of Balkans, led to the development of the Athens Driving Cycle (ADC). Emission and fuel consumption measurements were conducted over the ADC and compared with those of the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) using a chassis dynamometer. A Euro II compliant diesel vehicle was used in this study, fuelled with a typical automotive diesel fuel and biodiesel blends at proportions of 5, 10, and 20 % respectively. The unregulated emissions were characterized by determining the soluble organic fraction (SOF) in the particulate matter, together with qualitative hydrocarbon analysis present in the SOF fraction, and of carbonyl compounds (aldehydes, ketones). Emissions of NOx, CO, THC, CO2, and PM10 were also measured over the two test cycles.

In the present investigation, tests were carried out to evaluate exhaust emissions of a turbocharged indirect injection diesel engine fuelled with diesel - biodiesel blends. The vehicle was Euro III compliant, fuelled with a typical diesel fuel and used frying oil methyl ester blends at proportions of 2, 5, 10, and 20% respectively. Based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), regulatred and unregulated exhaust emissions were determined over a chassis dynamometer. The use of biodiesel resulted into a significant decrease of HC emissions. NOx and CO emissions exhibited a decreasing trend with the addition of the biodiesel. On the contrary, higher levels of PM emissions were observed. For carbonyl compounds, emissions of acetaldehyde were significantly increased with formaldehyde showing a slight increasing trend.

In this study exhaust emissions from a commercially available motor vehicle with neat diesel fuel and diesel/biodiesel blends have been investigated. The vehicle was a EURO IV class with a turbocharged direct injection engine (TDI) of 2.0 liter displacement. Methyl ester obtained from used frying oil was as the blendstock at proportions of 5, 20, and 50 % by volume. On-board emission measurements were conducted in real-world driving on a specific driving route infrastructure including altitude differentiation, humps, and various alternations on driving conditions, such as frequent accelerations and decelerations. The addition of biodiesel demonstrated a decrease in NOx, CO and smoke opacity emissions. CO2 emissions and fuel consumption showed an increase

In this study, the transesterification process of 4 different vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed, olive oil and used frying oil) took place utilizing ethanol, in order to characterize the ethyl esters and their blends with diesel fuel obtained as fuels for internal combustion engines. All ethyl esters were synthesized using calcium ethoxide as a heterogeneous solid base catalyst. The ester preparation involved a two-step transesterification reaction, followed by purification. The effects of the mass ratio of catalyst to oil, the molar ratio of ethanol to oil, and the reaction temperature were studied on conversion of sunflower oil to optimize the reaction conditions in both stages. The rest of the vegetable oils were converted to ethyl esters under optimum reaction parameters. The optimal conditions for first stage transesterification were an ethanol/oil molar ratio of 12:1, catalyst amount (3.5%), and 80 °C temperature, whereas the maximum yield of ethyl esters reached 80.5%.

The introduction to the European market of higher levels of biodiesel blends focuses the research interest on the compatibility problems of the diesel fuel distribution system. The influence of metals in the oxidation stability and lubricity of two different types of commercially available FAMEs (without antioxidant additive) was investigated. Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) and Tin (Sn), were added in the form of solid metals (heterogeneous catalysis in liquid phase oxidation) and examined for their impact on the oxidation stability of biodiesel fuel. Oxidation stability was determined by Rancimat accelerated oxidation method, according to European Standard EN14214. Additionally, in order to examine the effect of the above mentioned metals in the presence of antioxidant additive, BHT was added in both biodiesel samples and oxidation stability determinations were carried out, as well.

The fuel supply chain faces challenges associated with microbial contamination symptoms. Microbial growth is an issue usually known to be associated with middle distillate fuels and biodiesel, however, incidents where microbial populations have been isolated from unleaded gasoline storage tanks have also been recently reported. Alcohols are employed as gasoline components and the use of these oxygenates is rising, especially ethanol, which can be a renewable alternative to gasoline, as well. Despite their alleged disinfectant properties, a number of field observations suggests that biodeterioration could be a potential issue in fuel systems handling ethanol-blended gasoline. For this reason, in this study, the effect of alcohols on microbial proliferation in unleaded gasoline fuel was assessed. Ethanol (EtOH), iso-propyl alcohol (IPA) and tert-butyl-alcohol (TBA) were evaluated as examples of alcohols utilized in gasoline as oxygenates.

FAME is the most common renewable component of conventional automotive diesel. Despite the advantages, biodiesel is more susceptible to oxidative deterioration and due to its chemical composition as well as its higher affinity to water, is considered to be a favorable substrate for microorganisms. On the other hand, apart from biodiesel, alcohols are considered to be promising substitutes to conventional diesel fuel because they can offer higher oxygen concentration leading to better combustion characteristics and lower exhaust emissions. More specifically, n-butanol is a renewable alcohol demonstrating better blending capabilities and properties when it is added to diesel fuel, as its composition is closer to conventional fuel, when compared ethanol to for example. Taking into consideration the alleged disinfectant properties of alcohols, it would be interesting to examine also the microbial stability of blends containing n-butanol in various concentrations.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a variety of phenolic type antioxidant additives on the microbial stability of biodiesel and diesel/biodiesel blends. Six synthetic phenolic type antioxidant agents were added in FAME at concentrations up to 1000 ppm. Treated FAME was also blended with Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel at a concentration of 7% v/v in order to examine the activity of the substances in the final blends. The oxidation stability in the presence of the phenolic compounds was determined by carrying out measurements under accelerated oxidation process in the Rancimat unit. The effectiveness of those antioxidant agents against microbial contamination in biodiesel fuel was studied under certain testing protocols for detecting microbiological activity in the fuel supply chain and for evaluating antimicrobials against fuel bio-deterioration.

This study investigates the effectiveness of seven phenolic compounds, including pyrogallol (PY), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone (DTBHQ), 4-tert-Butylcatechol (TBC), 2,5-bis(dimethylaminomethyl) hydroquinone, 2,5-bis(piperidinomethyl) hydroquinone and 2,5-bis(morpholinomethyl) hydroquinone on the oxidation stability of sunflower and soybean oil methyl esters. The seven phenolic compounds were dissolved in the base fuels at the same concentration levels, i.e., 200, 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 ppm. The oxidation stability measurements were carried out by employing a Rancimat accelerated oxidation unit according to EN 14214. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of the above mentioned compounds was also determined in a RSSOT apparatus (Rapid Small Scale Oxidation Test) according to ASTM D7545.

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the performance and airborne emissions of a diesel-water emulsion in 4 public buses operated in the area of Athens. The fuels used were a typical automotive diesel from the Greek market, a low sulfur diesel and a diesel-water emulsion of 13 % v/v water in low sulfur diesel. The fuels were characterized by exposing their physicochemical properties according to EN 590. The measurements of emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide did not show any significant differences among the three fuels. The effects on NOx emissions can be termed as mixed, bearing also in mind that they represent engine operation at no load. The beneficial effect of the emulsified diesel fuel could be readily observed in the case of smoke opacity emissions.

In this paper, two diesel fuels were examined in a single cylinder diesel engine under an emissions measurement test of 72 hours total duration. The test cycle included steady state measurements and transient measurements. The two test fuels were a typical automotive diesel fuel, complying with the specifications of the EN 590 European standard for the year 2004 (sulfur content 350 mg/kg), and an ultra low sulfur diesel fuel containing 15% GTL, complying with the specifications of the EN 590 European standard for the year 2008 (sulfur content 10 mg/kg). Exhaust emissions measurements included gaseous pollutants (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides), and particulate matter emissions. In all cases carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons emissions were very low. Nitrogen oxides emissions did not show a clear trend, indicating that this pollutant is affected mainly by the engine and less by the fuel.

The objective of this work was the assessment of aliphatic amines and tertiary dialkyl-amides as lubrication additives or extenders, on ultra - low sulfur diesel fuels. In order to evaluate the influence of two types of nitrogen compounds on the lubrication properties of ultra - low sulfur diesel fuels, nine distillation fractions produced by atmospheric distillation of a hydrotreated diesel fuel, were used as the base fuels. Five aliphatic amines and two tertiary amides were used as lubricating additives at five different concentrations i.e. 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0% by volume, on the nine base fuels. Tribological experiments were carried out on the High frequency Reciprocating test Rig (HFRR). The wear results showed that only four of the five aliphatic amines used, provide satisfactory HFRR mean wear scar diameter (WS 1.4) of less than 460 microns, and at the concentration levels of 1-2% by volume. The concentration levels below 1 % by volume had no effect on the fuel lubricity.

This work includes an assessment of the lubricity of Greek road diesel fuel of low sulfur content, and the effect of the addition of two different types of biodiesel which can be produced from raw materials abundant in the Mediterranean area. In this study, a series of representative fuels of the Greek fuel market were tested. In some of them, the lubricity was measured three times, during a period of three months from the day of each sample was produced. In all cases a decrease of the wear scar diameter (WSD) was measured; this behaviour could be attributed to the oxidation reactions that take place during the storage period. In order to monitor the effect of the addition of biodiesel on the lubricity of road diesel, biodiesels produced from sunflower oil and olive oil were used. The use of rape seed oil biodiesel as a diesel fuel substitute is a commercial event in Central Europe; in the United States the soybean oil biodiesel has been examined in detail.

Additives that enhance properties, such as cetane number or cold flow, are introduced in diesel-biodiesel blends in order to upgrade its performance as well as to aid its handling and distribution. Furthermore, in order to protect the engine and fuel operating system equipment, diesel fuel may be treated with corrosion inhibitors and detergents. However, additives could also have an impact on other parameters beyond those that they are intended to boost. In the present study the effect of diesel fuel improvers on fuel’s microbial stability is examined. An additive-free ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) was blended with Soybean Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) and the resulting blend was treated separately with a series of commercially available diesel fuel additives.

Problems with the low-temperature operability performance of biodiesel in blends with petroleum diesel are infrequent, but continue to limit the use of biodiesel during winter months. A troubling aspect of this problem is that in some cases precipitates above the blend Cloud Point (CP) have been detected and have led to plugging of fuel filters and subsequent engine stalling, as well as plugging of fuel dispenser filters. Many researchers found that the saturated monoglyceride content was a main component of the material that was found on plugged fuel filters, as well as traces of Saturated DiGlycerides (SDG), were also present on the plugged fuel filters. This is the reason which forced the organization of standardization to suggest a procedure in order to predict the content of the Saturated MonoGlycerides (SMG) even with uncertainty which can vary from −50% to +50%. The model which was used will be the same as that which was introduced in the Annex C of EN 14214+A1:2013.