Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Market Quality and Handling Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #210848
Title: Comparisons of Biodiesel Produced from Oils of Various Peanut Cultivars

Author
item Davis, Jack
item GELLER, DAN - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Faircloth, Wilson
item Sanders, Timothy

Submitted to: American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/11/2007
Publication Date: 7/11/2007
Citation: Davis, J.P., Geller, D., Faircloth, W.H., Sanders, T.H. 2007. Comparisons of Biodiesel Produced from Oils fo Various Peanut Cultivars. American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Biodiesel is a renewable, clean burning alternative fuel that can be used in standard diesel engines with no engine modification and no perceptible loss in engine performance. Biodiesel production typically involves the transesterification of a seed oil feedstock, with soybean oil being the primary feedstock in the U.S. Peanut oil is suitable for biodiesel production, but there is little published information regarding peanut biodiesel. Peanut oils were extracted from 9 common cultivars of peanut and biodiesel was subsequently prepared from these oils using standard transesterification procedures. Viscosity (both dynamic and kinematic) for both the oils and biodiesels had an exponential response to changes in temperature, with higher temperatures resulting in lower viscosities. On average, biodiesels were about 76% and 86% less viscous than parent oils at 100 and 40ºC respectively. Values for the kinematic viscosity of peanut biodiesel at 40ºC ranged from about 6.2 to 5.1 mm2/s, with an average value of 4.9 mm2/s, values that are similar to biodiesels prepared from other common oilseed stocks. In contrast to trends observed in the oils, no clear correlations were observed in oleic acid content and biodiesel viscosity or biodiesel density. The propensity of the peanut biodiesels to crystallize (negative factor from a biodiesel perspective) was related to the fatty acid profiles for the various peanut oils. These data will aid decisions in developing peanut cultivars with optimal biodiesel characteristics.