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Biodiesel is a non-polluting alternative fuel produced from renewable resources whose chemical and physical properties closely resemble those of the petroleum diesel fuel. Recently studies are being carried out for biodiesel production from less common or unconventional oilseeds. This paper highlights the perspectives of using safflower oil for the biodiesel industry to promote it as an alternative fuel. The safflower is widely grown in semi-arid and arid regions of the world. Advantages of cultivating safflower like drought resistance and salt tolerance were taken into account. The field experiments were placed in Romania, one of the South-Eastern Europe countries with a big agricultural potential.

Some attributes of oils and the corresponding biodiesels from safflower, soybean and rapeseed have been investigated. The fatty acids profile of safflower analyzed via GC shows a high amount of linoleic acid of 69.65%. This results in better low temperature properties like pour point, cloud point and cold filter plugging point of the FAME. Oxidation stability parameter does not meet the limit imposed by EN14214 European Standard, usually being improved by additives. Based on the global results, safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) was identified as a promising species for biodiesel feedstock which can be exploited with success on degraded lands of the world. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.