ABSTRACT

Fossil fuel is depleting rapidly due to its limited reserve and increasing demands from various industry. The corresponding issue, which causes environmental degradation as well as political and economic concern, has encouraged the needs of searching for alternative fuel. One of the solution is the biodiesel which is derived from plant materials or animal fats. The biodiesel has properties similar to that of diesel and it is biodegradable and has low sulfur content. However, the fatty acid ester in biofuel is different from hydrocarbon in diesel and investigation on the material compatibility in the fuel system has been a great interest of many researchers. (Haseeb et al. 2010, Fazal et al. 2011). Indeed, in the case of rubber, changes in fuel composition often create many problems in rubber seals, pipes, gaskets and o-rings in the fuel system (Trakarnpruk & Porntangjitlikit 2008).