Quality Assessment of Biodiesel Blends Proposed by the New Mexican Policy Framework

Nowadays, biodiesel is being promoted worldwide as a sustainable and alternative to diesel fuel. However, there is still a lack of a biodiesel market in Mexico. Hence, a new initiative to reform the Mexican biofuels framework by decree includes the production and use of biodiesel. This regulation can ensure and contribute to the development of the biodiesel market in Mexico. The initiative proposes to start from the B5.8 blend by the end of 2017 and reach the B10 by 2020. Therefore, the objective of the present work was the quality assessment of biodiesel blends proposed by the new Mexican policy framework. The techniques applied were Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis, scanning electron microscopy analysis, viscosity, higher heating value, thermogravimetric analysis, refractive index, acid number, specific gravity, flash point, and copper strip corrosion based on ASTM standards. The results indicate that the biodiesel and its blends B5.8 and B10 fulfilled relevant quality specifications established in the ASTM D6751 and EN14214 standards for fuels. However, the fuel blends presented a higher heating value (HHV) diminution. The experimental HHV percentages decrease for the mandatory mixtures compared to diesel were 2.29% (B10), and 0.29% (B5.8).