Monitoring of biodiesel oxidative degradation by mass spectrometry

• Grant number: 12/08289-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Barrera Arellano
• Grantee: Daniel Barrera Arellano
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ildenize Barbosa da Silva Cunha ; Marcos Nogueira Eberlin ; Renato Grimaldi ; Rosana Maria Alberici Oliveira

Abstract

Although the commercial perspective for biodiesel presented a fast growth during recent years, there is a concern about its resistance to oxidative degradation during storage. Unlike food, where the main implication of lipid oxidation are changes on sensory characteristics, oxidation in biodiesel present as consequence the formation of gums and sediments (dimmers and polymers) that can cause fuel filter clogging. Regarding the techniques used to evaluate biodiesel oxidation most of them require laborious experimental procedures and are sometimes inaccurate. Thus, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the oxidative degradation of biodiesel produced from soybean oil, beef tallow and mixtures of them (70:30, respectively) by mass spectrometry (MS). Commercial biodiesel samples will be stored under usual conditions of temperature and relative humidity, then will be evaluated using traditional analytical techniques and MS techniques such as Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT ICR-MS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), and easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS). It will also be a study of oxidative degradation of biodiesel under accelerated conditions (60° C and 110° C). It is expected that this study develops a technique for identification of oxidation compounds (hydroperoxides, dimmers, and polymers) formed during oxidation of biodiesel and monitor their changes during storage. (AU)