In this study, the phase behaviour of emulsified systems (oil + biosurfactant + water) was analyzed. The biosurfactant was produced in a 4-L batch bioreactor by Bacillus subtilis LAMI005, using residual glycerine from biodiesel production as a carbon source. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analyses demonstrated that the biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis (LAMI005) consists of a lipopeptide similar to surfactin. The influences of temperature and the composition of oil + biosurfactant + water were determined by using phase diagrams. Three types of oil were used, namely: motor oil, hydrogenated naphthenic oil (NH140) and castor bean oil. The emulsified systems were analyzed using optical micrography. The results presented here indicated that the biosurfactant produced in this work presents a potential use as stabilizing agent for oil-in-water emulsions.

The density of the pure component (n-hexadecane), pure pseudo-components (coconut biodiesel and diesel) and pseudo-binary mixtures of coconut biodiesel with n-hexadecane (or + diesel) were measured at temperatures 293.15, 313.15, 333.15, 353.15 and 373.15 K and atmospheric pressure, over the entire composition range (mole fractions from 0.1 to 0.9, with a step de 0.1). Densities were determined using an Anton Paar SVM 3000 viscodensimeter. Experimental density values decreased with the increase of the temperature. The excess molar volumes of the pseudo-binary mixtures were calculated by using the experimental values of density. Excess molar volumes were correlated with the Redlich-Kister polynomial expansions. Excess molar volumes show positive and negative values in the two systems studied. Excess partial volumes at infinite dilution were calculated for coconut biodiesel, n-hexadecane and diesel in the mixtures studied.

Viscosities of four binaries mixtures [soybean biodiesel + diesel oil (or n-hexadecane) and coconut biodiesel + diesel oil (or n-hexadecane)] have been determined at T = (293.15, 313.15, 333.15, 353.15, 373.15) K and atmospheric pressure over the entire composition range. Experimental data were fitted to the Andrade equation and the adjustable parameters and the standard deviations between experimental and calculated values were estimated. From the experimental data, the viscosity deviations, <img src="/img/revistas/bjce/v29n3/21e02.jpg" alt="" align="absmiddle" />, were calculated by using the Redlich - Kister polynomial equation. The comparison between experimental data determined in this work and four predictive methods used for the estimation of viscosities of biodiesel fuels (based on their fatty acid composition) is discussed.