The comparison of alternative fuels produced from sunflower and hazelnut oils by thermal cracking and transesterification methods

The overall objective of this study was to explore the utility of two different oils as a potential source of diesel fuel. Sunflower oil and hazelnut oil were selected as samples to produce alternative diesel fuel with thermal cracking and transesterification methods. In the cracking method, sunflower oil and hazelnut oil were degraded thermally. The oil collected at optimum conditions (430-490 °C range and 1 h reaction time) was fractionated at different temperatures and fuel properties of the fractions were measured. The second method is a production facility that uses the transesterification process, methanol as an alcohol and sodium methoxide as the catalyst. Products were prepared in order to investigate fuel specifications according to ASTM and EN standards. Density, cetane number, flash point, pour point and kinematic viscosity values were determined. Fuel properties of products are found comparable with those of diesel fuel within the EN 590 Diesel Fuel standard and they were also been used as fuel in compression ignition engines