Author(s)

Tianxi Zhang, Yapeng Chao, Nan Liu, Joe Thompson, Manuel Garcia, Brian B. He, Jon Van Gerpen, Shulin Chen

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Formation of excessive sludge and fuel filter clogging were experienced in using biodiesel blends under marine environment. In this study, a field test was conducted in a marine ferry boat fueled by canola-based biodiesel blends. The sludge materials collected in the fuel purifier were characterized using inductively coupled plasma (ICP), pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Karl-Fischer titration. It was found that the sludge materials consisted of four distinctive fractions: organic materials derived from diesel and canola biodiesel (major fraction), ash (11-14% w/w), water (~17% w/w), and bacteria. The active bacteria were present in the sludge samples. It was suggested that bacterial contamination was one of the major factors in contribution to the sludge formation.

Biodiesel, Sludge, Filter Clogging, Microorganisms, Marine Environment

T. Zhang, Y. Chao, N. Liu, J. Thompson, M. Garcia, B. He, J. Gerpen and S. Chen, "Case Study of Biodiesel-Diesel Blends as a Fuel in Marine Environment," Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, Vol. 1 No. 2, 2011, pp. 65-71. doi: 10.4236/aces.2011.12011.