Analysis of Different Heating Rates on the Thermal Degradation of Chlorella Protothecoides Microalgal Biodiesel Using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Biodiesel is considered as a potential fuel for the diesel engine because of similar physiochemical properties compared to diesel. However, some fuel properties of biodiesel still require improvement to convert it into an ideal fuel such as biodiesel stability and cold flow properties. Thermal analysis is considered an effective method to analyze the thermal stabilities of any fuel. The present paper investigated the thermal degradation of Chlorella protothecoides microalgal biodiesel (CPMB) at varying heating rates. The Thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA) was conducted from 5 to 20 °C/min heating rates under both air and nitrogen atmosphere in a 25–700 °C temperature range.