Some Chemical Analyses in Biodiesel Production and Biofuel Characteristics

Abstract

When the goal is the production of biodiesel, it is beneficial to have some knowledge of the chemical analyses necessary for the determination of free fatty acids and the so-called acid number along with other kind of analyses required to assess the iodine number, the saponification of fats and oils. The biodiesel’s main characteristics and properties are described here together with the properties of the main biodiesel sources. Some microbial-based sources of biodiesel are also reported since this will be a new trend of the future production of biodiesel. The chapter continues with some comparisons between biodiesel and different fuels, and a more detailed description of the enzymatic process and kinetic modeling with the introduction of the Ping Pong Bi Bi mechanism.