Journal of Energy Bioscience 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 216-226 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 216 Research Article Open Access Characterization of Rapeseed Oil for Biodiesel Production: A Comparative Study Kaiwen Liang 1, Shudan Yan 2 1 Agri-Products Application Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resouces, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China 2 Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: shudan.yan@cuixi.org Journal of Energy Bioscience, 2025, Vol.16, No.5 doi: 10.5376/jeb.2025.16.0021 Received: 19 Jul., 2025 Accepted: 24 Aug., 2025 Published: 09 Sep., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Liang and Yan, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Liang K.W., and Yan S.D., 2025, Characterization of rapeseed oil for biodiesel production: a comparative study, Journal of Energy Bioscience, 16(5): 216-226 (doi: 10.5376/jeb.2025.16.0021) Abstract This research mainly compares several aspects of rapeseed oil as a raw material for biodiesel. This includes its physical and chemical properties, production process, fuel performance, environmental impact and industrial applications. Different catalysts, process parameters and conversion methods were compared in the study. It was found that when rapeseed oil was used to make biodiesel, the yield was good and the fuel performance was also excellent. For instance, the cetane number, calorific value and low-temperature fluidity can all meet the standards. The emission performance also complies with international fuel requirements. Rapeseed oil biodiesel is of great significance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving renewable energy goals. However, many problems were also encountered during the promotion process. For instance, high raw material costs, conflicts in land use, competition with food applications, and how to make high-value use of by-products. Current new research is paying more attention to green catalysts, enzymatic processes, the reuse of by-product glycerol, and the integration with the circular bioeconomy. In the future, genetic breeding, process integration and policy support may further enhance the sustainability and market competitiveness of this biodiesel. The purpose of this research is to provide references and directions for energy policies, industrial development and subsequent scientific research. Keywords Rapeseed oil; Biodiesel; Fuel performance; Life cycle assessment; Sustainable development 1 Introduction The global energy crisis is becoming increasingly severe, and the reserves of fossil fuels are also constantly decreasing. This has led countries to actively seek new sustainable energy sources. The excessive use of fossil fuels not only brings about energy security problems, but also aggravates environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (Gupta et al., 2022; Makarevi Cienet al., 2024). Therefore, the development and utilization of renewable energy have become the key methods to solve the energy crisis and reduce carbon emissions. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be naturally degraded and is also relatively environmentally friendly. It can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower reliance on oil, and thus has received widespread attention. Biodiesel is mainly produced through transesterification reactions of vegetable oils or animal fats. Its combustion performance and physicochemical properties are similar to those of ordinary diesel and can be directly used in existing diesel engines (Santaraite et al., 2020; Sendžikienė et al., 2020; Gupta et al., 2022). Among many raw materials, rapeseed oil has a significant advantage. It has a high oil content, approximately 40%, and a large global output. Moreover, its fatty acid composition is suitable for use as fuel. Therefore, rapeseed oil has become one of the commonly used raw materials for biodiesel in Europe and worldwide (Azcan and Danisman, 2008; Santaraite et al., 2020; Abdulvahitoglu and Kilic, 2021). Rapeseed oil not only has a high yield, but its fatty acid composition is also beneficial. The contents of oleic acid, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid are all abundant. These components can improve fuel performance and are also beneficial to oxidation stability (Khan et al., 2023). Biodiesel made from rapeseed oil not only meets international standards such as ASTM and EN, but also performs well in terms of environmental and economic benefits (Rashid and Anwar, 2008; Rezki et al., 2020).
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