Synergistic Effects of Antioxidants on the Oxidative Stability of Soybean Oil- and Poultry Fat-Based Biodiesel

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel composed of saturated and unsaturated methyl ester fatty acids that is very prone to oxidation attack. Exposure to air, heat, light, and metallic contaminants can lead to autoxidation, and the degradation of fuel properties such as kinematic viscosity and total acid number. This study examines the effectiveness of blends of primary antioxidants from combinations of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), propyl gallate (PG), pyrogallol (PY) and tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) to increase oxidative stability. Results indicate that binary antioxidant formulations: TBHQ:BHA, TBHQ:PG and TBHQ:PY were most effective at 2:1, 1:1, 2:1 weight ratio, respectively in both distilled soybean oil- (DSBO) and distilled poultry fat- (DPF) based biodiesel. Antioxidant activity increased as the loadings were increased. The synergisms of the antioxidant pairs were different with different biodiesel types, suggesting a dependence on the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition. The best synergistic effect was observed with the TBHQ:BHA blends while the best stabilization factors (SF) were achieved by using the TBHQ:PY blends. Quantification of antioxidant content in stored biodiesel with TBHQ:PY blend demonstrates that the main factor of synergy is the regeneration of PY by TBHQ.