Investigation and enhancement on fuel stability characteristics of biodiesel dosed with various synthetic antioxidants

Nearly 350 species of biodiesel feedstocks have been identified by many researchers for the past few decades. Unlike petroleum diesel, the biodiesel degrades rapidly and deterioration of its quality occurred while contacting with atmospheric oxygen. This main drawback of instability of fuel properties limited the commercial use of biodiesel in the global fuel market. To inhibit this oxidative degradation of biodiesel, the antioxidants are used. Comparing to other antioxidants, the synthetic antioxidants (phenolic) are more efficient. This study investigates the effects of commercially available and cheap synthetic antioxidants (TBHQ – tert-butylhydroxyquinone, PY – pyrogallol, PG – propyl gallate, BHT – butylated hydroxytoluene, and BHA – butylated hydroxyanisole) at 1000 ppm concentration on the fuel stability of Calophyllum inophyllum biodiesel. The discrepancy in antioxidant activity has been characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy by analyzing the O–H and C–H molecular chains preva...