Biodiesel Storage Stability: Evaluation and Monitoring Advancements

ABSTRACT

Due to the challenges of the IR 4.0 era and the Covid-19 pandemic at the same time, this paper provides a brief review of the published studies predominantly on biodiesel storage tank materials and followed by the Internet of Things (IoT) system as an alternative monitoring method in biodiesel industries. The suitability of storage material for a longer storage duration due to lower oil demands amidst this pandemic becomes a major concern. In this paper, two important parameters kinematic viscosity and flashpoint in consideration of storage tank materials relating to surrounding conditions and biofuel blends were discussed. It was found that the degradation of fuel in plastic and glass storage tanks is significant for outdoor storage. Over time, the kinematic viscosity of biodiesel shows an increasing trend meanwhile the flashpoint is in decreasing trend or almost constant. However, these physical properties show very limited changes when stored at an ambient temperature. On another note, IoT systems to date are mostly used to detect fuel theft, fuel consumption, fuel impurities, and fuel tank level but are yet to be used to observe the fuel quality under a longer storage period, more than 6 months. IoT solution with suitable embedded sensors has potential to become the advance solution for remote biodiesel quality monitoring, reducing the need for manpower and interaction. This review paper provides necessary information for further investigations on biodiesel stability, storage material, and monitoring advancement systems. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.