Effect of temperature on the corrosion behavior of mild steel upon exposure

to palm biodiesel

M.A. Fazal, A.S.M.A. Haseeb, H.H. Masjuki

1. Introduction
Biodiesel, consisting of alkyl mono-esters of fatty acids is
derived from vegetable oils or animal fats [1,2]. Recently, this is
being considered as a promising alternative fuel to overcome the
concerns raised from fossil fuel depletion and environmental
degradations [3,4]. Some of the advantages of biodiesel over
petroleum diesel are fuel economy, higher cetane number and flash
point, reduced emissions, improved combustion and lubricity
[5e7]. Compositionally, biodiesel differs from petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel has generally a higher level of (poly-unsaturates) olefinic
components than petroleum diesel which very susceptible to
oxidation [8,9]. These are corrosive and can attack metals. Fuel
tank, tubing system, connecting rod etc. are commonly made from
mild steel [10,11]. So, it is important to investigate the comparative
corrosion of mild steel in diesel and biodiesel.
Fundamental studies on the degradation of mild steel upon
exposure to palm biodiesel are scarce. Only few studies can be
found in the literature which describes the materials surface
change after prolonged exposure into biodiesel [2,12e14]. Kaul
et al. [12] investigated the corrosiveness of different biodiesel (e.g.
Jatropha curcas, Karanja, Mahua and Salvadora) as compared to that
of diesel fuel. They found that biodiesel from J. curcas and Salvadora
were more corrosive for both aluminum piston and ferrous alloy
liner metals. Geller et al. [2] reported that fat based biodiesel was
more aggressive for copper alloys than ferrous alloys. Pitting
corrosion was found on the bronze sintered filters integrated oil
nozzle after 10 h operation with biodiesel at 70 _C [13]. In our
recent study [14], it was found that upon exposure to palm biodiesel,
copper and aluminum were subjected to pitting corrosion
while 316 stainless steel was not affected. It was also observed that
fuel properties such as density, viscosity and acidity were changed
at different levels for the exposure of each metal.
Metal corrosion and degradation of fuel properties also depend
on temperature. Operating temperature of fuel in the fuel systemcan
be as high as 44e84 _C [15]. Higher temperatures may aggravate the
metal corrosion and change in fuel properties at different level. A
perusal of the literatures [12,16,17] reveals that increased acidity and
increased peroxide value as a result of oxidation can cause enhanced
corrosion of fuel system components. The present study aims to
investigate the corrosion of mild steel and changes in associated fuel

properties such as density, TAN number, water content at different

temperatures upon exposure into different test fuels.

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