(205d) Biokerosene Produced from Ozone Cracking Lipids and Its Combustion Tests in a Diesel Engine

The utilization of fossil energy has resulted in global warming and other environmental issues. Diesel fuels account for about 17 % of total carbon dioxide emissions. Biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel are solutions to reduce emissions for carbon sequestration. However, biodiesel use is constrained by poor low-temperature performance, making them unsuitable for cold winter seasons or jet fuel. On the other hand, renewable diesel is also challenged by the high operating temperatures and pressure, high energy consumption in production and fractionation, high demand for hydrogen sources, etc. An innovative production process was investigated to synthesize biokerosene from various alcohols and nonanoic acid, a primary product of the ozonolysis of oleic acid. The products exhibit excellent low-temperature performance because cloud points of the nonanoic esters can be as low as -70 ^oC. This super low-temperature performance showed the potential for replacing the winter-season diesel, kerosene, and jet fuels. Because of the saturation of the molecules, the products showed excellent oxidation stability and low greenhouse gas emissions. The energy densities of the products increased with the carbon atoms in the alcohols but were less than current biodiesel. The products generally had flash points higher than 90 ^oC, indicating safer handling and storage. In addion, the type of alcohol used in synthesis significantly influences on the physcial properties, such as viscosities, combustions of heat. The existence of oxygen in the fuel molecules facilitates complete combustion, resulting in low measured emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and high carbon dioxide concentrations in engine exhaust. Furthermore, diesel engine exhaust from biokerosene combustion contained lower concentrations of nitrogen oxides than fossil diesel run in the same engine. Therefore, ozone-cracking of lipids provides an energy-efficient way to produce alternatives to petroleum-based jet, kerosene, and diesel fuels.