New Class of Acetal Derived from Glycerin as a Biodiesel Fuel Component

The biodiesel production increase in the last few years has led to an overproduction of glycerin, the main byproduct of this industry. To avoid a glut in the glycerin market, many researchers are exploring new uses for this product. One of the most promising research areas is the use of glycerin-based additives to improve biodiesel properties. In this context, this paper presents the results of the study of a new oxygenate synthesized from crude glycerin as a biodiesel additive. The obtained results reveal that new acetal (2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methyl acetate not only improves biodiesel viscosity but also meets the requirements established by diesel and biodiesel fuels by the European and American Standards (EN 14214 and ASTM D6751, respectively) for other important parameters, such as flash point and oxidation stability, that have not been studied before with previous acetals. The comparison study between this new acetal and the known additive glycerol triacetate (triacetin) demonstrates that this new compound can compete with other biodiesel additives. Moreover, along this work, new synthetic methodology of triacetin has been designed using new reaction conditions, which avoid high temperatures and the presence of catalysts.