DOI: https://doi.org/10.61435/ijred.2025.61192
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Enhancing Cold Flow Properties of Palm Biodiesel: Quantitative Comparison of Improvement Methods via Fatty Ester Isomerization and Bio-additive Introduction

1Department of Bioenergy Engineering and Chemurgy, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Raya Jatinangor KM 20.75 Sumedang, Indonesia, 45363, Indonesia

2Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Indonesia

3Master Program of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia, Indonesia

4 Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia, Indonesia

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Received: 7 Nov 2025; Published: 14 Jan 2026.
Editor(s): Editor Office
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s). Published by Centre of Biomass and Renewable Energy (CBIORE)
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract
Biodiesel is a cleaner and renewable combustion fuel that globally serves as an effective alternative to fossil diesel. The current application of this biofuel is still restricted to specific concentration due to its poor cold flow properties (CFPs). Nevertheless, some enhancement methods lead to deterioration of other properties, especially oxidation stability (OS). Later, isomerization process was offered to improve cold flow properties chemically with minimum impact on oxidation stability. In this study, palm-biodiesel isomerization was carried out atmospherically using SO4/SnO2 catalyst in the stirred batch reactor at temperature of 200oC, catalyst loading of 10 wt%, stirring speed of 900 rpm, and under N2 flow. The performance of catalyst and the effect of isomerization on CFPs and OS were investigated. For comparative study, the effect of bio-additive (turpentine oil and α-terpineol) introduction, at concentrations of 1, 3, 5 vol%, on CFPs and OS was also evaluated. The isomerization results demonstrated a conversion ratio of 29.0% and an isomerization selectivity of 69.7%. This reaction had a slight improving effect on both CFPs (ΔPP = ‒1oC; ΔCP = 0.5oC) and OS (ΔOS = 1.36 h). Furthermore, the best insertion of bio-additives demonstrated a more significant enhancement in CFPs (ΔPP = ‒1oC; ΔCP = ‒1.75oC). Nevertheless, it significantly reduced OS level (ΔOS = ‒11 h).

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Keywords: Biodiesel, cold flow properties, oxidation stability; isomerization; SO4/SnO2 catalyst; bio-additive
Funding: Center for Higher Education funding and Assessment (PPAPT); Endowment Fund for Education Agency (LPDP) under contract 01198/BPPT/BPI.06/9/2023; Asahi Glass Foundation under contract 4274a/IT1.C07.2/TA.00/2025

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Section: Int Conf. of Chemical and Material Engineering 2025
Language : EN
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