Performance of Palm Oil Methyl Esters as Alternative Fuel for Diesel Engines

Methyl Esters have been suecessfuly synthesised from Crude Palm Oil (CPO), Refined, Bleached and Deodorised Olein (RBD) and Crude Palm Stearin (CPS). The properties and characteristics of this methyl esters are not distinctively different from Malaysian Grade 11 petroleum diesel, except for higher viscosity, specific gravity and narrower boiling range. The methyl esters were tested in the Ricardo. E6, Lister 8/I, Yanmer TF 80 and Isuzu 4FBI engines. The general performance of these fuels was at par to that of Malaysian grade II petroleum diesel.