Biodiesel Quality Improvement with Additive Treatment

There are a number of well known performance concerns that have the potential to negatively impact the increasing use of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) as alternative fuels in diesel engine equipped vehicles. These issues affect the perception of FAMEs as a quality alternative to mineral oil derived fuels. This paper describes a study to assess the impact of rapeseed methyl ester (RME) fuel on performance parameters, such as injector fouling, corrosion, water separation and fuel foaming tendency. The effect on RME quality of treatment with multifunctional diesel fuel additive, containing dispersant, demulsifier, anti-foamant and anti-corrosion components, is also investigated and shown to provide significant improvements to the base properties of these fuels.