Potential alternative aviation fuel from jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.), babassu (Orbignya phalerata) and palm kernel (Elaeis guineensis) as blends with Jet-A1 kerosene

The strong upward trend in air transport has promoted the development of renewable and clean fuels, making for a sustainable growth in the aviation sector. This paper describes alternative aviation fuel obtained from the transesterification and subsequent distillation of jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.), babassu (Orbignya phalerata) and palm kernel (Elaeis guineensis) oils. The methanolic transesterification reaction was performed using the homogeneous basic catalysis method. The yields were higher than 81.72%. The blends were prepared with the esters obtained from the synthesis and commercial aviation kerosene (Jet-A1) in proportions of 5, 10 and 20% (v/v). The same proportions were used with ester fractions at a boiling point lower than 190 °C. These fractions were obtained by fractional vacuum distillation. The quality standards of the blends were evaluated based on the procedures established by Brazilian Standard ABNT (Brazilian Technical Standards Association) and American Standard ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) for the properties: kinematic viscosity, calorific value, density and flash point. The preliminary results of methyl esters/Jet-A1 blends confirmed that the biofuel obtained using the 10% proportion has similar properties compared to the available commercial aviation fuels, hence the use of these new fuels is a viable alternative.