energies-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Biodiesel and Biolubricant: Production, Sources and Environmental Impact

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A4: Bio-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2025 | Viewed by 2434

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environment and Ecology, Bioeconomy Research Institute, Vytautas Magnus University, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania
Interests: biofuel and biogas production; usage and influence on environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues:

Biodiesel and biolubricants are widely used in industrial production respectively. In the energy field, biodiesel, as a renewable fuel with high oxygen content, has the advantages of improving the combustion process, reducing soot and sediment, and is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly fuel alternative. Compared with traditional lubricants, biolubricants have the advantages of being degradable and less polluting, which can effectively reduce the emission of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases. Biodiesel is used in transportation, power generation, heating, agricultural machinery and other fields. Biolubricants can replace traditional lubricants in engine oil, hydraulic oil, compressor oil, gear oil, grease and other industrial applications. 

This special issue focuses on the precursors, production preparation, chemical/biological decomposition, energy generation and consumption, and effects on the environment of biodiesel and biolubricants. We hope to collect and organize research in related directions and bring cutting-edge research and insights to scholars and readers. Relevant research topics include but are not limited to new raw materials and methods for biodiesel and biolubricant production; life cycle assessment (LCA), and techno-economic analysis. Original research papers, communications and review articles will be considered for submission.

Prof. Dr. Egle Sendzikiene
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • non-edible fuel sources
  • biodiesel production
  • biolubricant production
  • biodiesel properties
  • biolubricant properties
  • environmental impact
  • life cycle analysis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 3627 KiB  
Article
Performance Assessment of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Biodiesel in a Plateau Environment
by Guangmeng Zhou, Xumin Zhao, Zhongjie Zhang, Zengyong Liu, Surong Dong and Qikai Peng
Energies 2025, 18(8), 1955; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18081955 - 11 Apr 2025
Viewed by 225
Abstract
Biodiesel has a higher oxygen content and a higher cetane number, which can compensate for the intake oxygen deficiency in diesel engines in a plateau environment to a certain extent. However, the decreased air density makes biodiesel fuel spray atomization and evaporation more [...] Read more.
Biodiesel has a higher oxygen content and a higher cetane number, which can compensate for the intake oxygen deficiency in diesel engines in a plateau environment to a certain extent. However, the decreased air density makes biodiesel fuel spray atomization and evaporation more difficult due to its higher density and kinematic viscosity, reducing the quality of the air-fuel mixture. The investigations in this study focus on the effects of biodiesel blending ratios and their coupling with injection timing on diesel engine performances under varying altitude conditions. The results show that as the altitude increases, using a high proportion of biodiesel-blended fuel results in a lower degree of torque reduction. The torque reduction of B100 is 14% lower than that of baseline at an altitude of 4500 m. In addition, when the altitude increases by 2000 m, the optimal fuel injection timing is delayed by 4° CA, regardless of the biodiesel blending ratio. The low-temperature combustion heat release ratio of biodiesel engines slightly increases with the delay of injection time, which is increased with the biodiesel blending ratio. For B100 fuel, increasing the pilot injection quantity under high-altitude conditions helps to improve the heat release rate during the early and late stages of combustion and reduce expansion losses. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4028 KiB  
Article
Separation of Rapeseed Oil Transesterification Reaction Product Obtained Under Supercritical Fluid Conditions Using Heterogeneous Catalysts
by Yuri A. Shapovalov, Sergei V. Mazanov, Almaz U. Aetov, Dyusek H. Kamysbaev, Rustam R. Tokpayev and Farid M. Gumerov
Energies 2025, 18(7), 1669; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18071669 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 187
Abstract
Rapeseed oil transesterification reaction with ethanol under supercritical fluid conditions was performed either in the presence of catalysts or without them. The catalysts were Al2O3 and AlOOH, obtained after Al2O3 hydrothermal processing, and CaO/Al2O3 [...] Read more.
Rapeseed oil transesterification reaction with ethanol under supercritical fluid conditions was performed either in the presence of catalysts or without them. The catalysts were Al2O3 and AlOOH, obtained after Al2O3 hydrothermal processing, and CaO/Al2O3 and CaO/AlOOH, obtained after permeation. The obtained product was measured for dynamic viscosity and density. Based on these data, kinematic viscosity was calculated. Biodiesel fuel was separated via centrifugation to extract more viscous ethyl esters of saturated fatty acids and unreacted triglycerides in order to comply with the standards for biodiesel fuel. Analyses have found that the maximum content of obtained ethyl esters of fatty acids in a reaction product before separation is reached, in the case of using the CaO/AlOOH catalyst, is in the amount of 93.34% by mass; and none of the samples’ kinematic viscosity values comply with the standards for biodiesel fuel. Performing centrifugation allowed us to reduce viscosity and increase biodiesel fuel concentration to reach the EN14214 standard requirements. Also, a significant deterioration of the initial catalysts’ strength after the singular experiment has been observed: Al2O3 by 22.4%, AlOOH by 13.89%, CaO/Al2O3 by 25.13%, and CaO/AlOOH by 17.27%. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2559 KiB  
Article
Atomistic Details of Methyl Linoleate Pyrolysis: Direct Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Converting Biodiesel to Petroleum Products
by Michael J. Bakker and Matthew R. Siebert
Energies 2024, 17(10), 2433; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17102433 - 20 May 2024
Viewed by 1338
Abstract
Dependence on petroleum and petrochemical products is unsustainable; it is both a finite resource and an environmental hazard. Biodiesel has many attractive qualities, including a sustainable feedstock; however, it has its complications. The pyrolysis (a process already in common use in the petroleum [...] Read more.
Dependence on petroleum and petrochemical products is unsustainable; it is both a finite resource and an environmental hazard. Biodiesel has many attractive qualities, including a sustainable feedstock; however, it has its complications. The pyrolysis (a process already in common use in the petroleum industry) of biodiesel has demonstrated the formation of smaller hydrocarbons comprising many petrochemical products but experiments suffer from difficulty quantifying the myriad reaction pathways followed and products formed. A computational simulation of pyrolysis using “ab initio molecular dynamics” offers atomic-level detail of the reaction pathways and products formed. Herein, the most prevalent fatty-acid ester (methyl linoleate) from the most prevalent feedstock for biodiesel in the United States (soybean oil) is studied. Temperature acceleration within the atom-centered density matrix propagation formalism (Car–Parrinello) utilizing the D3-M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p) model chemistry is used to compose an ensemble of trajectories. The results are grounded in comparison to experimental studies through agreement in the following: (1) the extent of reactivity (40% in the experimental and 36.1% in this work), (2) the homology of hydrocarbon products formed (wt % of C6–C10 products), and (3) the CO/CO2 product ratio. Deoxygenation pathways are critically analyzed (as the presence of oxygen in biodiesel represents a disadvantage in its current use). Within this ensemble, deoxygenation was found to proceed through two subclasses: (1) spontaneous deoxygenation, following one of four possible pathways; or (2) induced deoxygenation, following one of three possible pathways. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop