The Effect of Polymeric Additives on Biodiesel Blend Cold Flow Properties

Biofuels prove to be a useful alternative to petrol diesels, as they can be created from naturally sourced materials like animal fats, plant oils, and cooking oils. However, they currently face issues concerning solidification in cold environments. The cloud point (CP) signifies when different components of the biodiesel begin to crystallize, causing solidification. By reducing the CP, the overall cold flow performance of the biodiesel can be improved. Studies have shown that the CP of biodiesel can be altered by doping the fuel with petrol diesel or wax-inhibiting polymers dissolved in solution. This research aims to study the effect of mixing ratios of diesel, biodiesel, and polymers on the CP. Various blends of biodiesel and petrol diesel with either 1 wt% or 5 wt% polymer additive were created. Solutions were analyzed via differential scanning calorimetry. Results showed that as the amount of biodiesel in solution increased, the CP decreased. For similar blends, as the weight percentage for both additives increased, the CP slightly decreased. The PEG solutions performed better than the EVA solutions before the B50 blend ratio, but the EVA solutions performed better after the B50 ratio. This result is likely due to the relative sizes of each polymer and biodiesel and diesel structure. EVA has a more complex structure than PEG, so it will have a harder time crystallizing with the complex biodiesel structures.