Production, Characterization, and Exergy Analysis of the Soybean Biodiesel Produced by Laboratory Scale

Abstract

The world's hegemonic energy model is mostly based on the burning of fossil fuels. The heavy reliance on oil, coal, and natural gas for power generation as well as the pollution resulting from burning such fuels is a growing global concern. Biodiesel from the transesterification of vegetable oils is a promising alternative source for diesel engines. The ANP, National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, regulates fuels in Brazil. In this work, soybean biodiesel was produced on a laboratory scale through an alkaline transesterification reaction. An analysis of the exegetic efficiency of the process, the physical-chemical characterization of biodiesel, and a brief discussion on the following parameters were carried out: higher and lower calorific value, water content, specific mass at 20°C, kinematic viscosity at 40°C, acidity index and oxidative stability, verifying the adequacy to the parameters of ANP Resolutions nº 45/2014 and nº 798/2019. Considering the exergetic efficiency of 63.42% and the physical-chemical characterization, despite the non-conformities in water content and oxidative stability, soybean biodiesel proved to be a satisfactory alternative for renewable fuel.