Diesel fuel from thermal decomposition of soybean oil

Abstract Soybean oil was thermally decomposed and distilled in air or in nitrogen sparge with standard ASTM distillation apparatus. GC‐MS analysis showed that approximately 75% of the products were made up of alkanes, alkenes, aromatics and carboxylic acids with carbon numbers ranging from 4 to more than 20. Fuel properties of the pyrolyzed materials were characterized and compared with those of the parent oil. The pyrolyzates had lower viscosities and higher cetane numbers than the parent vegetable oil. Thermally decomposed soybean oil shows promise as alternative fuel for the direct‐injection diesel engine.