Palm stearin biodiesel: preparation, characterization using spectrometric techniques and the assessment of fuel properties

In the contemporary era, our planet has been experiencing an unprecedented energy shortage and degradation of the environment. The exhaustion of crude oil reserves, fluctuation in fuel prices, and the escalating environmental pollution problems are driving the researchers worldwide to search for sustainable alternative fuels. This study discusses an enhanced protocol for the production of biodiesel using crude palm stearin (CPS), the nonedible solid portion of palm oil, through alkali-catalyzed transesterification. The significant physicochemical properties of CPS and palm stearin biodiesel (PSB) were analyzed by adopting American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test procedures and contrasted with the commonly used biodiesels, petro-diesel, and ASTM biodiesel standards. The kinematic viscosity, density, gross calorific value, and cetane number of PSB were noticed to be 0.566 cSt, 0.882 kg/m3, 38,676.90 kJ/kg, and 47.5, respectively. The fatty acid composition and the functional groups present in CPS and PSB were determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) techniques. GCMS spectra for PSB demonstrated a composition consisting of myristic acid, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, elaidic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid in varying percentages. The conversion of triglycerides in the CPS into methyl esters in PSB was confirmed by the FTIR analysis. The results of thermogravimetric analyses were also in good agreement with GCMS and FTIR. The closeness of the estimated properties of PSB with petro-diesel and the conformance with ASTM standards indicate the prospective of PSB as an alternative fuel for compressed ignition engines.