Experimental and mathematical nonlinear rheological characterization of chicken fat oil-a sustainable feedstock for biodiesel

To meet the ever-increasing energy demands, significant amount of research is carried out to find environmentally friendly and renewable energy resources. Biodiesel production through animal fats such as chicken fat is considered as a lucrative option due to the presence of high concentration of triglycerides and free fatty acid content. Chicken fats also contain other organic compounds, which could affect the flow properties of biodiesel. Current study is focused on developing a robust model to analyze flow behavior/model of chicken fat oil with in-depth analysis of rheological properties such as shear stress and dynamic viscosity against shear rate and time respectively. The analysis is based on experimental results as well as mathematical model and found a good agreement between the model and the results. It was found that the viscosity of a feedstock is a critical parameter for biodiesel production. If viscosity changes drastically during chemical reaction, it leads to energy losses and ultimately increases the process cost. However, chicken fat results indicate that the viscosity of chicken fat slightly decreased in the application of the shear rate. Still, the change was very small, and viscosity restored to its original value of 0.08 Pa.S, when stressed was removed. This indicate that the chicken fat oil exhibits the time-dependent non-Newtonian thixotropy fluid which leads to its potential for biodiesel production in the transport section