Application of Dielectric Spectroscopy to the Characterization of FAME in Biodiesel Production

Abstract

During the production process of biodiesel, the mixture of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) obtained from the transesterification process must be separated from glycerin and then purified in several steps. This chapter discusses the application of the measurement of electrical properties to obtain quantitative indication of the advance of the purification process and the conversion to biodiesel. The results presented in this chapter show that permittivity and conductivity measurements, as a function of temperature, provide relevant information on the efficiency of the successive washing steps of FAME. Moreover, the presence of contaminants in FAME and biodiesel may be detected by measurements of the characteristic electrical parameters. This is particularly important for the characterization of the final product.