THE ROLE OF EPOXIDATION ON CAMELINA Sativa BIODIESEL PROPERTIES

An unstandarised biodiesel made from Camelina sativa oil, having over a 90 percent by weight of unsaturated fatty acids, were transformed into an epoxidised biodiesel that satisfy the requirements for iodine value, linolenic acid methyl ester content, cetane number, polyunsaturated fatty acids content, and viscosity established by the EN 14214 and ASTM D 6751 standards. The epoxidation reaction was carried out at 60 °C using peroxyacetic acid generated in situ and sulphuric acid as catalyst. A conversion of 60 % of double bonds was reached after 3 hours of reaction. However, only one hour was needed to get standard requirements and to avoid the epoxide ring opening side reaction that leads to hydroxyl groups. Besides, it was also observed that the formation of hydroxyl groups increases the kinematic viscosity of the biodiesel, being deleterious for the biodiesel properties.