The 1st International Conference on Alternative Fuels: Future and Challenges, Kayseri, Turkey, 2 - 04 December 2016, vol.1, pp.57
Turkey spends a large part of its foreign currency reserve to buy crude oil. Producing biofuels to substitute
oil imports helps reduce the oil bill. Biodiesel as an alternative fuel is one of the most attractive biofuels due to its
environmental advantages. Recently, Exploration of biodiesel production from various feedstocks has attracted more
attention than in the past. Safflower (Carthamustinctorius L.) and Hemp (Cannabis sativa) oils are examples of these
feedstocks. In this study, Safflower and Hemp oils were investigated as potential feedstocks for biodiesel production in
Turkey. Safflower and Hemp methyl esters were produced by transesterification process with methanol and sodium
hydroxide (NaOH) as a catalyst. This was followed by investigation of some physical and chemical properties of the
produced biodiesel such as the kinematic viscosity, cloud pour point, pour point, flash point, density and cold filter
plugging point. It has been found that all properties of Safflower and Hemp methyl esters fell within ASTM D 6751 and
EN 14214 biodiesel standards. It has been found that the cloud and pour points of Safflower and Hemp methyl esters
were (-2 and 3 °C) and (-7 and -4 °C) respectively. These results indicate that both feedstocks are good for the cold
weather regions such as Turkey. As a conclusion, this study recommends further investigation of these feedstocks in
term of blending with fossil diesel at different percentages and examine the effect on engine and emissions
performance.