Bio-based diluents improve cold flow properties of dairy washed milk-scum biodiesel

There is a growing trend in utilizing biological industrial wastes to produce biofuels. The dairy washed milk scum (DWMS) is one of such potential industrial waste and can be used as feedstock for the production of biodiesel. One of the inherent problems of DWMS biodiesel is its poor low temperature property. In this investigation, the influence of two bio-based cold flow improvers (CFIs) namely, ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) and ethyl levulinate (EL) was tested on low temperature properties of DWMS biodiesel. It was observed that the addition of 20% (v/v) of EAA and EL to DWMS biodiesel significantly decreased the cloud point (CP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP) and pour point (PP). The crystallization characteristics of neat biodiesel and biodiesel blended with CFIs (EAA and EL) were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The viscosity, acid value and induction period, flash point of all samples were within the permissible limits of biodiesel standard (ASTM D6751-15c) with all the blends of EAA and EL. The present work demonstrates that EAA and EL are suitable cold flow improvers for DWMS biodiesel.