Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) obtained from grapeseed oil: A fully renewable biofuel

Residues from wine industry constitute an interesting feedstock for biodiesel in wine-producing countries like Spain. The use of grape seed oil together with bioethanol obtained from wine surplus or distillation of grape skins and stalks in the transesterification reaction results in fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), which is a fully renewable and waste-derived biofuel. In this work, FAEE from the grape seed oil obtained from the vine variety Tempranillo has been produced and some of their properties have been measured and estimated. Only the oxidation stability would fall below the minimum value established for biodiesel in Europe, thus requiring additivation with antioxidants to fulfill the standard. The remaining properties are within the range. Noteworthy, the cold flow behaviour is very promising.