Investigating the Physio-chemical Properties of Densified Biomass Pellet Fuels from Fruit and Vegetable Market Waste

Statistical optimization, characterization and effect of process variables on cotton stalk pellets using tractor drive pelleting machine

In present study, the development, production, characterization and economic analysis of pellets made from cotton stalk in a tractor PTO-based pelleting machine are investigated. The cotton stalk is widely available in the southern part of India and has a huge potential in bioenergy generation due to its salient physicochemical composition. Many regions of Southern India are suffering from an electricity shortage, and therefore to overcome on this issue, an energy-efficient, portable, tractor PTO-operated pelleting machine was developed that can be operated directly on the field to reduce the transportation cost of agro-residues. The Box-Behnken design using response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate the performance of the pelleting machine. Based on the ANOVA results, the pelleting efficiency, pelleting capacity, bulk density of pellet and fuel consumption were obtained to be 87.06%, 42.65 kg/h, 614.09 kg/m³ and 1.12 lit/h, respectively. In order to examine the physicochemical properties of cotton stalk pellets, the proximate, ultimate, physical, TG-DTG, FTIR and SEM analysis have been carried out. As a result, the ash content, calorific value, shattered index and durability of cotton stalk pellets were found to be around 2.73%, 18.92 MJ/kg, 92.80% and 93.75%, respectively. A combustion characteristic of pellets using TGA analysis exhibited a maximum mass loss (43.5%) observed in between 180 and 350 °C due to the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, whereas a SEM analysis of cotton pellets justified its homogeneous morphology along with rich concentration of minerals. The benefit-cost ratio and payback period of developed tractor PTO-operated pelleting machine for cotton stalk were found to be 1.11 and 33.1 months, respectively. The internal return of rate was observed to be 74%.

Quality Assessment of Waste from Olive Oil Production and Design of Biodegradable Packaging

The use of olive pomace from olive oil production is still insufficient. The lingering olive pomace is harmful to the environment. On the other hand, the world is increasingly polluted with plastic or by-products from the production of biodegradable products. Considering these two problems, the aim of this work was to develop a mixture and create biodegradable disposable tableware characterized by high antioxidant activity. The disposable tableware was made by mixing olive pomace with teff flour or/and sorghum groats and lecithin. Baking was carried out at the temperature of 180 °C. The best variant of the mixture for the preparation of disposable tableware was olive pomace, teff flour, sorghum groats and lecithin. These vessels were the toughest, with low water absorption and had a high antioxidant potential due to the high content of polyphenols and omega acids. Protecting the cups and bowls with beeswax had a positive effect on reducing water absorption.

Preparation, Characterization, and Evaluation of Emission and Performance Characteristics of Thumba Methyl Ester (Biodiesel)

Thumba oil with a higher triglyceride content can be a promising feed for synthesizing a fatty acid alkyl ester as an alternative to pure diesel. The current study investigates the emission and performance characteristics of thumba methyl ester (TME) in compression ignition (CI) engines corresponding to variable loads and compression ratios (CRs), respectively. TME was prepared at an optimized pressure of 5 bar by hydrodynamic cavitation. The properties of TME-diesel blends with varied volume percentages of biodiesel, such as 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, denoted B5, B10, B15, B20, and B25, respectively, were compared to pure TME (100% biodiesel) and pure diesel (100%). The B20 biodiesel blend has been observed as the optimal one based on the lower emission composition and higher brake thermal efficiency. For B20 fuel, injection at 23° before the top dead center (TDC) and a CR of 18 resulted in the lowest brake specific fuel consumption of 0.32 kg/kW h and a maximum brake thermal efficiency of 36.5%. Using titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the pre-stage of TME manufacturing has ultimately reduced the nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbon, and carbon monoxide emissions. At a CR of 18 and advanced injection 23° before TDC for a CI engine, TME derived from thumba oil has the potential to be a viable diesel substitute.

Overall Performance Investigation and Optimization of a Multi-fuel Operated Compression Ignition Engine Using Coupled Taguchi and Grey Relational Analysis

Biofuels are regarded as the best diesel fuel substitute due to their low sulfur concentration, reduced aromatic hydrocarbon content, renewable nature, and higher oxygen content. In this research article, the impact of producer gas, Calophyllum inophyllum oil, diesel, and a blend of C. inophyllum-producer gas fuel on a variable compression ratio (VCR) compression ignition (CI) engine, and the performance and emission parameters are evaluated. Several test runs are undertaken at a constant speed of 1500 rpm to predict the performance and emission characteristics of the test engine by changing input parameters such as engine load, CR, and fuel mode of operation. The brake thermal efficiency, BTE, is considered the performance characteristic, and CO, HC, NO _X , and opacity are considered the emission characteristics for the present study. The biofuel, or producer gas, employed in this study is prepared from waste biomasses, such as leaves, small tree branches, vegetable waste, and cow dung, aiding waste management for a sustainable environment. In addition, a coupled Taguchi-Grey relational analysis technique is used to predict the best possible combination of control factors for optimizing the overall output responses. 12 kg load, a CR of 18, and diesel fuel are found to be the optimum input parameters of an engine toward optimum performance. A confirmation test is performed at the end to validate the outcome of the experiment. An enhancement in performance of 22.75% is observed with the considered Grey relational grade model.