Lanxess biodiesel stabiliser successfully tested

July 3, 2012: Specialty chemicals company Lanxess has been awarded ‘no-harm certification’ from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Qualitätsmanagement Biodiesel e.V. (AGQM) for its new biodiesel stabiliser Baynox Solution 50%. Working closely with oil corporations in Germany, AGQM (a German consortium for biodiesel quality management) investigated the undesirable side-effects of mixing antioxidants for biodiesel with brand-name diesel and their behaviour in combustion engines. The Lanxess antioxidant concentrate passed the numerous tests without any restrictions and has been included by AGQM in the no-harm list.

Baynox Solution 50% is a highly concentrated solution of Baynox, the tried-and-tested biodiesel stabiliser from Lanxess. It combines the benefits of easy handling with the outstanding properties of Baynox. "Baynox Solution 50% meets the demand from countless biodiesel producers for a liquid stabiliser with a high active ingredient content that can also be metered easily," said Ralf Bogan, the product manager in charge at Lanxess Distribution GmbH. "And as we use biodiesel as a solvent for our stabilisers, customers don't need to worry about additional safety requirements in the biodiesel plant."

Baynox antioxidants are ultrapure. Apart from active ingredients and biodiesel, they don't contain alcoholic or mineral solubilisers, sulphur, nitrogen or other additives. The active ingredients combust in the engine without leaving any residues. These additives are dissolved in biodiesel and are supplied accordingly by Lanxess in liquid form. Customers receive a ready-to-use formulation that can be added during biodiesel production, thus eliminating the need for further addition of solvent that is both highly volatile and strong-smelling. Baynox was the first biodiesel stabiliser to be approved by German mineral oil suppliers.

The effective antioxidant Baynox ensures the biofuel obtained from natural raw material remains stable and can therefore be used for longer. The disadvantage of biofuel is that the unsaturated fatty acid structures easily oxidise in contact with atmospheric oxygen. The oxidation of oils and fats through atmospheric oxygen is known as rancidity. Heat, light and other stress factors accelerate this process, making the oil rancid within a short time. The consequences of this oxidation are, on the one hand, a decomposition of the biodiesel into short-chained fatty acids and, on the other, the formation of insoluble polymers (gums). This can cause damage to the engine and the injection system.

"It has been proven that Baynox biodiesel stabilisers do not impair the fuel's chemical or technical properties in any way and that there is no need to worry about impermissible interactions with other fuel components," said Bogan.