An Experimental Investigation of the Effective Parameters on Wet Washing of Biodiesel Purification

Abstract

The purity level of biodiesel has a strong effect on fuel properties and on engine life. Therefore, a purification step is necessary. Generally, there are two accepted methods for purifying biodiesel: wet washing and dry washing. In this research, the effective parameters on wet purification of biodiesel were investigated. Three types of biodiesel wash water (tap water, distilled water and water with 3% phosphoric acid), three wet washing temperatures (30, 45 and 60ºC), and three levels of water to biodiesel ratios (0.5, 1 and 1.5 v/v) were used. In order to perform the wet washing of biodiesel, a bubble washing technique was used. The catalyst, soap and water residue were considered as the criteria to choose the optimum water washing condition and were measured after the wet washing of crude biodiesel. The results showed that the best condition for catalyst and soap removal from biodiesel are acidified water, a temperature of 60ºC and a water to biodiesel ratio of 1.5 (v/v). Also, the least amount of water residue in the final purified biodiesel was observed when using tap water at a temperature of 60ºC and a water to biodiesel ratio of 0.5 (v/v).