Experimental investigation on regulated and unregulated emissions of a diesel engine fueled with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel blended with biodiesel from waste cooking oil

Ultralow Sulfur Diesel and Rapeseed Methyl Ester Fuel Impact on Performance, Emitted Regulated, Unregulated, and Nanoparticle Pollutants

The operation of engines using rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) was tested for the combustion properties, emitted regulated, unregulated exhaust pollutants, and the size of nanoparticles. The combustion analysis showed higher apparent heat release rate and shorter ignition delay period during RME combustion than during ULSD combustion. The ULSD engine has a combustion chamber maximum pressure relatively higher than that of RME. This study showed that the heat release rate of ULSD is always higher than that of RME while more fuel consumption occurred from the combustion of biodiesel in comparison with diesel. When the engine is running on RME, HC and NOx formation increased at high loads up to 15% and 13%, respectively; meanwhile, CO concentrations reduced by 30.9% for the same conditions. Most of the particulate matter (PM) emitted from a diesel engine has a particle size from 5 to 100 nm, while the particle size from ULSD ranged from 5 to 40 nm. Overloading the engine caused a decrease in the sizes of emitted PM for both fuels. The smoke number for RME was less than that for ULSD by 33.9% at high loads. For high engine load, the cumulative concentration number for the nucleation mode decreased, while it increased for the accumulation mode. Furthermore, measurements of formaldehyde, ethane, methane, acetylene, ethylene, propylene, and isocyanic acid emissions showed the presence of these harmful substances at very low concentrations (8 ppm) for both fuels.

Study on the Emission Characteristics of Urban Buses at Different Emission Standards Fueled with Biodiesel Blends

Biodiesel is a promising clean and alternative fuel that can meet the demand of energy saving and environmental protection. In this study, the effects of biodiesel blends on the gaseous and particulate emission characteristics of China-III, IV, and V urban buses were investigated based on a heavy chassis dynamometer. The results showed that the biodiesel blend resulted in a reduction in CO, THC, PN, and PM emission but an increase in the NOx and CO₂ emission, and the effects were enhanced with the biodiesel ratio, which also depended on the bus speed. Simultaneously, the emission standards of buses had an obvious effect on the emissions and changed the effect of biodiesel on the emissions. A higher emission standard of the bus highlighted the effect of biodiesel on the emission. From China-III to China-IV to China-V buses, the comprehensive changes produced by B5 in the emissions increased from 5.57 to 6.78 to 6.83%, while for B10, a significant increase in the changes was obtained, reaching 12.98, 14.68, and 15.02%, respectively, for the three emission stage buses.

Numerical Investigation of the Application of Miller Cycle and Low-Carbon Fuels to Increase Diesel Engine Efficiency and Reduce Emissions

In this paper, validated simulations using Ricardo WAVE have been performed to investigate the effect of the Miller cycle and low-carbon fuels on the performance (power, torque, BTE and BSFC) and emissions of a diesel engine. The results show that the increased Miller cycle effect (larger deviation of the advanced or retarded intake valve closing from the standard intake valve closing time) will decrease NOx, CO and HC emissions, and slightly improve brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) with slight loss in engine performance and increase in soot emissions. An engine running B0 (diesel with 0% Biodiesel in the blend) with a −18% Miller cycle effect has a reduction in NOx of 9% and CO of 4.3% with a decrease of 1.6% in power at the rated engine speed. Using low carbon fuels drastically reduces emissions with reduced BTE and increased BSFC. When used in conjunction, the Miller cycle and low-carbon fuels have an improved effect on both performance and emissions. The optimal results demonstrate that using B60 (60% Biodiesel in the blend) and a −8% Miller effect contributes to a 1.5% improvement in power, 1.2% in BTE, 13.3% in NOx, 38.5% in CO, 8.9% in HC, and 33.0% in soot at a cost of 6.0% increase in BSFC. The results show that it is an easy way to reduce NOx, CO, HC and soot emissions and increase the BTE of the engine by combining Miller cycle and low-carbon fuels.

A Study on Performance Evaluation of Biodiesel from Grape Seed Oil and Its Blends for Diesel Vehicles

With incessant increases in fuel prices worldwide and concerns for environmental pollution, the need for alternative sources of energy is becoming urgent. In this study, the potential of grape seed oil for biodiesel as an alternative fuel was evaluated. Refined grape seed oil was bought in liquid form and then subjected to an alkali-catalyzed transesterification process for biodiesel production. The physicochemical properties of the resulting biodiesel—namely, viscosity, cetane number, and heating value—were investigated. The biodiesel was blended with a conventional diesel in various proportions and combusted in a four-cylinder, four-stroke compression ignition (diesel) engine under two loading conditions. Experimental results revealed that the blend ratio of B70 (70% GS biodiesel and 30% conventional diesel) gave the best overall engine performance in terms of maximum power, minimum emissions, and fuel consumption. Furthermore, a novel neural network technique called extreme learning machine was adopted to investigate the optimal blend ratio using the dataset obtained from the experimental results. The results also indicate that the best choice of biodiesel blend ratio is approximately B73.67 (73.67% GS biodiesel and 26.33% conventional diesel). The study shows that grape seed oil could serve as a reliable source of production of quality biodiesel fuels, which could be used as an alternative to conventional diesel fuels.

Effects of biodiesels on the physicochemical properties and oxidative reactivity of diesel particulates: A review

Particulate emissions from the combustion of diesel have always been the main concern, especially in recent years, with continuously stringent particulate emission regulation for diesel engines. To alleviate the problem, biodiesel has been received great attention because of its being environment-friendly, widely available and renewable. The application of biodiesel in diesel engines changes the combustion process, thus varies physicochemical property of the particulate matter (PM) formed, which in turn influences the oxidative reactivity of soot particles. In view of this, it is particularly important to analyze soot particles from the diesel engine fueled with biodiesels. This review focus on the effects of biodiesels on the physicochemical properties of soot particles, such as surface morphology, nanostructure, active surface area, element composition, elemental and organic carbon contents, surface functional groups, sp² and sp³ hybridizations, etc. The impact of engine operating conditions (i.e. engine load, engine speed, fuel injection timing, fuel injection pressure, exhaust gas recirculation, etc.) on characteristics of soot particles from diesel engines powered by biodiesel is also discussed. Whereafter, the relationships between soot physicochemical characteristics and soot oxidative reactivity are reviewed. Finally, the main conclusions are outlined as well as the proposed research work in the future.

Experimental Investigation of the Emission and Performance Characteristics of a DI Diesel Engine Fueled with the Vachellia nilotica Seed Oil Methyl Ester and Diesel Blends

The rapid growth in industrialization steadily increased the energy demand. The world's population ultimately depends on petroleum as a major share of fuel for transportation and industrialization. Even though it is widely used in various sectors, its emission into the atmosphere creates serious problems in the form of acid rain, smog, etc. This present experimental investigation highlights the utilization of Vachellia nilotica seed oil methyl ester (VNSOME) synthesized from Vachellia nilotica seed oil (VNSO) fueled in a diesel engine to assess the emission and performance characteristics. VNSOME is produced using the alkaline catalyst (NaOH) transesterification technique. Four different fuel blends of biodiesel, namely, VNSOME5, VNSOME10, VNSOME15, and VNSOME20, were prepared and fueled in an unmodified engine. The engine brake thermal efficiency is lower, the brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) using VNSOME20 is higher, and the temperature of exhaust gas emitted after combustion is increased. The thermal efficiency is reduced by 7.34% with increased BSFC and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) of 9.3 and 14.28%, respectively, as compared to diesel fuel. Similarly, using an optimized biodiesel blend (VNSOME20), the emission emitted such as HC and CO is reduced by 19.14 and 22.2%, respectively. However, the engine fueled with the VNSOME20 biodiesel blend increased the level of CO₂ and NO _x emitted into the atmosphere when compared to diesel fuel.

Analysis of Biodiesel Influence on Unregulated Gaseous Emissions of Diesel Motor Vehicles

This scientific study is focused on the analysis of an influence of the experimental diesel fuel mixtures containing various portions of the biocomponent on the unregulated gaseous emissions generated by a diesel motor vehicle, which is equipped with the diesel engine utilizing the direct fuel injection system “common rail”. The main reason for the choice of this engine type was its wide usage in the current vehicles. The experimental diesel fuel mixtures were created as a mixture of the standard low-sulfur diesel fuel with the biodiesel, using various mixing ratios. The experiments were realized by means of a special 13-regime engine test cycle, which was intentionally developed for the diesel combustion engines. All the individual experiments were performed on the base of the given test cycle with 13 different operational modes. The obtained results offer a complex view on the generation of the unregulated emissions with regard to the operational conditions and taking into consideration operational loading of the given experimental engine.

Biodiesel from Crude Tall Oil and Its NOx and Aldehydes Emissions in a Diesel Engine Fueled by Biodiesel-Diesel Blends with Water Emulsions

Using biodiesel in diesel engines is beneficial for reducing emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matters (PM). Biodiesel is usually produced from vegetable oils or animal fats. When produced from plant oil or woody plant sources, biodiesel can reduce a significant amount of carbon dioxide on a life cycle basis. The objective of this study is to produce biodiesel from a non-conventional woody plant source that is, crude tall oil, which is a dark brown viscous liquid extracted and processed in wood pulping plants. It contains a high percentage of fatty acids. From raw crude tall oil, tall oil fatty acids were separated and were successfully used for the production of biodiesel in this study. Although biodiesel produces lower CO, HC and PM than petroleum diesel fuel, it produces higher oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions in diesel engines. Water emulsifications of diesel-biodiesel blends are investigated in a direct injection (DI) diesel engine in this work to understand their potential for NOx reduction. When using 10% water in the emulsions, NOx was reduced by nearly 15%. In aldehyde emissions, B100 showed 35% lower aldehydes and B100 with 10% water emulsion produced nearly 90% lower aldehydes than diesel fuel—a substantial reduction. Therefore, this study accomplished the desired goal of producing biodiesel from a non-conventional source, which satisfies ASTM biodiesel standard and results in lower NOx and aldehydes emissions with water emulsifications of diesel-biodiesel blends in a diesel engine compared to that of diesel fuel.

Soot Particle Size Distribution, Regulated and Unregulated Emissions of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Palm Oil Biodiesel Blends

In this study, five fuels including pure diesel (B0), pure palm oil biodiesel (B100), and their blends (B10, B20, and B30) were investigated in relation to soot particle distribution and regulated and unregulated emission characteristics in a common rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engine. The results indicated that CO, hydrocarbon (HC), and particulate matter (PM) regulated emissions were effectively controlled to a very low level by combining the addition of palm oil biodiesel (POB) to diesel with optimized engine operating conditions. Paper filters and TEM grids were used to capture the diesel particles. All the PM primary particles were less than 100 nm in diameter observed by TEM, and the average diameters of the PM primary particles for the biodiesel blends were distributed between 20 and 26 nm. Unregulated emissions such as trace metals including Pb, Mn, and Ba were found in the PM particles, and the xylene, toluene, and benzene unregulated emissions of B100 were reduced by 55.68%, 21.56%, and 18.32%, respectively, compared to those of B0. Therefore, POB is an excellent alternative fuel for diesel engines and has great application potential to solve the current pollution problems of regulated and unregulated emissions.

Experimental Study on Biodiesel Production Parameter Optimization of Jatropha-Algae Oil Mixtures and Performance and Emission Analysis of a Diesel Engine Coupled with a Generator Fueled with Diesel/Biodiesel Blends

Methyl ester production from jatropha-algae oil is conducted through a transesterification process. Consequences of four parameters, the molar ratio (oil:methanol), the reaction temperature, the amount of catalyst, and the reaction time for obtaining a higher yield of biodiesel, are derived, and the process was optimized using the response surface methodology based on the Box-Behnken Design. An optimized biodiesel yield of 96% is achieved at a molar ratio of 1:10, a reaction temperature of 53° C, a 0.3 wt% catalyst, and a reaction time of 172 min. The predicted optimal conditions were experimentally validated with a relative error of 4% of the experimental result (96%). The P value of ANOVA is <0.0001, which shows that the model is significant. Finally, the performance and emissions in a diesel engine coupled with an electricity generator powered by biodiesel blends (B0, B5, B10, and B20% vol.) were investigated, concluding a significant reduction of exhaust gases. The engine was run with numerous blends of biodiesel by changing the brake power from 0 load to 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 KW.

Study on Volatile Organic Compounds from Diesel Engine Fueled with Palm Oil Biodiesel Blends at Low Idle Speed

This paper presents the combustion and emissions characteristics including volatile organic compound (VOC) of a common rail direct injection diesel engine fueled with palm oil biodiesel blends contained 0%, 10%, 30%, and 100% (by volume) biodiesel at low idle speed, i.e., 750 rpm. The nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions of biodiesel blends were lower than that of pure diesel and NOx tended to decrease as the blending ratio increased. Soot opacity and hydrocarbon (HC) were reduced with an increasing blend ratio. Carbon monoxide (CO) varied with the engine load conditions. Under low load, CO emissions tended to decrease with increasing blending ratio and increased under high load. Alkane and aromatic VOCs were mostly emitted. Benzene and tetrahydrofuran accounted for the largest percentage of total detected VOCs in all test conditions. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX, toxic aromatic VOCs) were detected for all tests. Among BTEX, benzene has the highest emission ratio, followed by xylene, toluene, and ethylbenzene. Benzene increased for all tests. At low engine load, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene decreased with increasing blend ratio. However, these increased at high engine load. When pure palm oil biodiesel was applied at high engine load, benzene decreased.

Quantitative Evaluation of the Emissions of a Transport Engine Operating with Diesel-Biodiesel

The present work is about evaluating the emission characteristics of biodiesel-diesel blends in a reciprocating engine. The biodiesel was produced and characterized before the test. A virtual instrument was developed to evaluate the velocity, fuel consumption, temperature, and emissions of O2, CO, SO2, and NO from an ignition-compression engine of four cylinders with a constant rate of 850 rpm. The percentages of soybean-biodiesel (B) blended with Mexican-diesel (D) analyzed were 2% B-98% D (B2), 5% B-95% B (B5), and 20% B-80% D (B20). The biodiesel was obtained through a transesterification process and was characterized using Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Our results indicate that CO emission is 6%, 10%, and 18% lower for B2, B5, and B20, respectively, in comparison with 100% (D100). The O2 emission is 12% greater in B20 than D100. A reduction of 3% NO and 2.6% SO2 was found in comparison to D100. The obtained results show 44.9 kJ/g of diesel’s lower heating value, this result which is 13% less than the biodiesel value, 2.8% less than B20, 1.3% than B5, and practically the same as B2. The specific viscosity stands out with 0.024 Poise for the B100 at 73 °C, which is 63% greater than D100. The infrared spectra show characteristics signals of esters groups (C-O) and the pronounced peak from the carbonyl group (C=O). It is observed that the increase in absorbance of the carbonyl group corresponds to an increase in biodiesel concentration.

Effects of engine load and biodiesel content on performance and regulated and unregulated emissions of a diesel engine using contour-plot map

This experimental study was conducted to explore the favorable and unfavorable conditions which promote or reduce the performance and emissions in a diesel engine, based on six engine loads (5% to 95% load) and five biodiesel contents including B0 (0% waste cooking oil biodiesel and 100% diesel, by volume %), B20, B50, B75 and B100 (pure biodiesel), at a constant engine speed of 1920 rpm. According to the results, the maximum brake specific fuel consumption was recorded at the lowest engine load (5% load) using B100; while the highest brake thermal efficiency was obtained at 80% load for B100. In regard to regulated emissions, the highest engine load (95% load) with diesel fuel was the condition for the formation of maximum CO, smoke opacity, PM mass, total particle number concentration and geometric mean diameter. The 95% load with B100 was the condition for maximum CO₂ and NO_X. The 60% load with diesel fuel was the condition for maximum THC. For unregulated emissions, low engine load with B100 was the condition for maximum formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, ethene and propene. The maximum 1,3-butadiene was observed for B100 at 80% load. The highest benzene emission was recorded at 40% load for B100. The maximum toluene and xylene emissions were found at 5% load for diesel fuel. In addition, the conditions which lead to produce the minimum emissions are also extensively discussed in the present study.

Improving Biodiesel Conversions from Blends of High- and Low-Acid-Value Waste Cooking Oils Using Sodium Methoxide as a Catalyst Based on a High Speed Homogenizer

Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly and sustainable fuel. However, the high price of the biodiesel produced from pure vegetable oil contributes to making it uncompetitive in the market. If we can make low cost oils such as waste cooking oil and high-acid-value oil available as resources, the cost of biodiesel production will be reduced significantly. However, these low cost oils cannot be used to produce biodiesel directly because they usually contain a large amount of free fatty acids. They have to undergo a preparatory procedure to lower the acid value to a specific value. The purpose of this study was to lower the amount of free fatty acids in waste cooking oils by blending high- and low-value oils at different ratios and to reduce the transesterification reaction time using a high speed homogenizer, which has the potential to easily enlarge the capacity scale. We used a high-acid-value oil to low-acid-value oil volume ratio of 4:6 as a control. A high conversion rate (97.1%) was achieved under the optimal reaction conditions: methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 9:1; amount of catalyst (CH3ONa) used, 0.75 wt %; reaction temperature, 65 °C; rotation speed, 8000 rpm; and reaction time, 8 min.

Preparation and characterization of maghemite nanoparticles from mild steel for magnetically guided drug therapy

Maghemite (γ-Fe ₂ O ₃) nanoparticles for therapeutic applications are prepared from mild steel but the existing synthesis technique is very cumbersome. The entire process takes around 100 days with multiple steps which lack proper understanding. In the current work, maghemite nanoparticles of cuboidal and spheroidal morphologies were prepared from mild steel chips by a novel cost effective oil reduction technique for magnetically guided intravascular drug delivery. The technique developed in this work yields isometric sized γ-Fe ₂ O ₃ nanoparticles in 6 h with higher saturation magnetization as compared to the existing similar solid state synthesis route. Mass and heat flow kinetics during the heating and quenching steps were studied with the help of Finite element simulations. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the γ-Fe ₂ O ₃ phase is performed with the help of x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Mechanism for the α-Fe ₂ O ₃ (haematite) to γ-Fe ₂ O ₃ (maghemite) phase evolution during the synthesis process is also investigated. Maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles were prepared bya novel cost effective oil reduction technique as mentioned below in the figure. The raw materials included mild steel chips which is one of the most abundant engineering materials. These particles can be used as ideal nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery through the vascular network.

Development of novel alternative biodiesel fuels for reducing PM emissions and PM-related genotoxicity

This paper intend to investigate the effects of biodiesel fuel blends comprising of waste-cooking oil and butanol-diesel (B10W10-B10W40) under steady-state conditions. Both particulate organic carbon (OC) and PM including PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ significantly decreased with the increasing percentage of biodiesel fuel blends. The fuel blend of B10W40 also demonstrated the most effective function in reducing the emissions of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 in the volume by 59.4% and 57.7%, respectively. Moreover, the emissions of nitrogen oxides decreased with the blending of B10W10-B10W40 (13.9-28.5%), while the brake specific fuel consumption was substantially increased (5.69-13.4%). The overall biological toxicity of PM₁₀ generated from the fuel tested in this study was determined according to Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis assay in human alveolar basal epithelial A549 cells and micronucleus assay in CHO-K1 cells. In addition, the volume of more than 20% waste-cooking oil (B10W20 and B10W40) significantly reduced diesel-induced genotoxicity in lung cells and micronucleus formation in CHO-K1 cells. Collectively, these results indicated that biodiesel fuel blends with the butanol could be a potential alternative fuels for diesel engines because of its substantial property with a significant reduction of the PM-related genotoxicity and the emissions of PM, particulate OC, and NO_X.

Effect of biodiesel fuel on "real-world", nonroad heavy duty diesel engine particulate matter emissions, composition and cytotoxicity

Biodiesel is regarded by many as a "greener" alternative fuel to petroleum diesel with potentially lower health risk. However, recent studies examining biodiesel particulate matter (PM) characteristics and health effects are contradictive, and typically utilize PM generated by passenger car engines in laboratory settings. There is a critical need to analyze diesel and biodiesel PM generated in a "real-world" setting where heavy duty-diesel (HDD) engines and commercially purchased fuel are utilized. This study compares the mass concentrations, chemical composition and cytotoxicity of real-world PM from combustion of both petroleum diesel and a waste grease 20% biodiesel blend (B20) at a community recycling center operating HDD nonroad equipment. PM was analyzed for metals, elemental/organic carbon (EC/OC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs). Cytotoxicity in a human lung epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) following 24h exposure to the real-world particles was also evaluated. On average, higher concentrations for both EC and OC were measured in diesel PM. B20 PM contained significantly higher levels of Cu and Mo whereas diesel PM contained significantly higher concentrations of Pb. Principal component analysis determined Mo, Cu, and Ni were the metals with the greatest loading factor, suggesting a unique pattern related to the B20 fuel source. Total PAH concentration during diesel fuel use was 1.9 times higher than during B20 operations; however, total N-PAH concentration was 3.3 times higher during B20 use. Diesel PM cytotoxicity was 8.5 times higher than B20 PM (p<0.05) in a BEAS-2B cell line. This study contributes novel data on real-world, nonroad engine sources of metals, PAH and N-PAH species, comparing tailpipe PM vs. PM collected inside the equipment cabin. Results suggest PM generated from burning petroleum diesel in nonroad engines may be more harmful to human health, but the links between exposure, composition and toxicity are not straightforward.

Impact of biodiesel on regulated and unregulated emissions, and redox and proinflammatory properties of PM emitted from heavy-duty vehicles

The emissions and the potential health effects of particulate matter (PM) were assessed from two heavy-duty trucks with and without emission control aftertreatment systems when operating on CARB ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and three different biodiesel blends. The CARB ULSD was blended with soy-based biodiesel, animal fat biodiesel, and waste cooking oil biodiesel at 50vol%. Testing was conducted over the EPA Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) in triplicate for both trucks. The aftertreatment controls effectively decreased PM mass and number emissions, as well as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) compared to the uncontrolled truck. Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) exhibited increases with the biodiesel blends, showing some feedstock dependency for the controlled truck. The oxidative potential of the emitted PM, measured by means of the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay, showed reductions with the use of biodiesel blends relative to CARB ULSD for the uncontrolled truck. Overall, the cellular responses to the particles from each fuel were reflective of the chemical content, i.e., particles from CARB ULSD were the most reactive and exhibited the highest cellular responses.

Power generation and gaseous emissions performance of an internal combustion engine fed with blends of soybean and beef tallow biodiesel

This study aimed to compare the performance of an internal combustion engine fed with blends of biodiesel produced from soybean and diesel, and blends of biodiesel produced from beef tallow and diesel. Performance was evaluated in terms of power generated at low loading conditions (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kW) and emission of organic and inorganic pollutants. In order to analyse inorganic gases (CO, SO2 and NOx), an automatic analyser was used and the organic emissions (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene - BTEX) were carried out using a gas chromatograph. The results indicate that the introduction of the two biodiesels in the fuel caused a reduction in CO, SO2 and BTEX emissions. In addition, the reduction was proportional to the increase in loading regime. Beef tallow biodiesels presented better results regarding emission than soybean biodiesels. The use of pure biodiesels also presented a net reduction in pollutant gas emissions without hindering the engine generator performance.

The effects of neat biodiesel and biodiesel and HVO blends in diesel fuel on exhaust emissions from a light duty vehicle with a diesel engine

The influence of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) diesel blends on the exhaust emissions from a passenger car was examined. The impact of FAME for the cold urban phase (UDC) was increased CO and HC emissions, probably due to blend physical properties promoting incomplete combustion. The HVO blend caused the lowest CO and HC emissions for the UDC. NOx emissions did not change significantly with the fuel used, however the UDC was characterized by lower NOx emission for FAME blends. Particle emissions were highest with standard diesel. Emissions of carbonyl compounds increased as fuel biodiesel content increased, especially during the UDC. HVO in diesel fuel decreased carbonyl emissions. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the most abundant carbonyl compounds in the exhaust gas. Total particle-bound PAH emissions were variable, the emission of heavier PAHs increased with blend biodiesel content. The HVO blend increased emission of lighter PAHs. Nitro-PAHs were identified only during the UDC and not for all blends; the highest emissions were measured for pure diesel. The results showed that emission of nitro-PAHs may be decreased to a greater extent by using biodiesel than using a HVO blend.

Influence of gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel in the combined blend of Jatropha biodiesel and diesel: an analysis of engine combustion–performance–emission parameters

This study presents a comparative analysis of the blends of JBD (J20) and GTL fuel (G20) with diesel, including a ternary blend of JBD-GTL-diesel (DJG20), in the context of fuel properties, engine performance and emission characteristics.

Comparative evaluation of the blends of gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuels and biodiesels with diesel at high idling conditions: an in-depth analysis on engine performance and environment pollutants

The effect of high-idling conditions at different engine performance-emission parameters were investigated using blends of GTL–diesel and biodiesel–diesel.

Emission reduction of NOx, PM, PM-carbon, and PAHs from a generator fuelled by biodieselhols

This investigation examines the particulate matter (PM), particulate carbon, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from a generator fueled by petroleum diesel blended with waste-edible-oil-biodiesel and water-containing acetone. Experimental results show that using biodieselhols with water-containing (or pure) acetone as the fuel of generator, in comparison to using petroleum diesel, significantly reduces PM emission; roughly, this reduction increased as percentage of water-containing acetone increased. When the percentages of waste-edible-oil-biodiesel were ≤ 5 vol%, adding pure or water-containing acetone (1-3 vol%) to biodieselhols generated emission reductions of NOx, PM, particle-bound organic carbon (OC), total-PAHs, and total-BaPeq. Consequently, using water-containing acetone biodieselhols as an alternative generator fuel is feasible and helps recycle and reuse waste solvents containing water-containing acetone.

The use of biodiesel blends on a non-road generator and its impacts on ozone formation potentials based on carbonyl emissions

In this study, emissions of carbonyl compounds from the use B50 and B100 were measured with a non-road diesel generator. A total of 25 carbonyl compounds were identified in the exhaust, including 10 with laboratory-synthesized standards. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein were found as the most abundant carbonyl compounds emitted for both diesel and biodiesel. The sulphur content of diesel fuels and the source of biodiesel fuels were not found to have a significant impact on the emission of carbonyl compounds. The overall maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) was the highest at 0 kW and slightly increased from 25 to 75 kW. The MIR of B100 was the highest, followed by diesel and B50, which is consistent with the emission rates of total carbonyl compounds. This suggests that the use of biodiesel blends may be more beneficial to the environment than using pure biodiesel.

Impact of organosulfur content on diesel fuel stability and implications for carbon steel corrosion

Ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel has been integrated into the worldwide fuel infrastructure to help meet a variety of environmental regulations. However, desulfurization alters the properties of diesel fuel in ways that could potentially impact its biological stability. Fuel desulfurization might predispose ULSD to biodeterioration relative to sulfur-rich fuels and in marine systems accelerate rates of sulfate reduction, sulfide production, and carbon steel biocorrosion. To test such prospects, an inoculum from a seawater-compensated ballast tank was amended with fuel from the same ship or with refinery fractions of ULSD, low- (LSD), and high sulfur diesel (HSD) and monitored for sulfate depletion. The rates of sulfate removal in incubations amended with the refinery fuels were elevated relative to the fuel-unamended controls but statistically indistinguishable (∼50 μM SO4/day), but they were found to be roughly twice as fast (∼100 μM SO4/day) when the ship's own diesel was used as a source of carbon and energy. Thus, anaerobic hydrocarbon metabolism likely occurred in these incubations regardless of fuel sulfur content. Microbial community structure from each incubation was also largely independent of the fuel amendment type, based on molecular analysis of 16S rRNA sequences. Two other inocula known to catalyze anaerobic hydrocarbon metabolism showed no differences in fuel-associated sulfate reduction or methanogenesis rates between ULSD, LSD, and HSD. These findings suggest that the stability of diesel is independent of the fuel organosulfur compound status and reasons for the accelerated biocorrosion associated with the use of ULSD should be sought elsewhere.

Oxidative stress, inflammatory biomarkers, and toxicity in mouse lung and liver after inhalation exposure to 100% biodiesel or petroleum diesel emissions

Over the past decade, soy biodiesel (BD) has become a first alternative energy source that is economically viable and meets requirements of the Clean Air Act. Due to lower mass emissions and reduced hazardous compounds compared to diesel combustion emissions (CE), BD exposure is proposed to produce fewer adverse health effects. However, considering the broad use of BD and its blends in different industries, this assertion needs to be supported and validated by mechanistic and toxicological data. Here, adverse effects were compared in lungs and liver of BALB/cJ mice after inhalation exposure (0, 50, 150, or 500 μg/m3; 4 h/d, 5 d/wk, for 4 wk) to CE from 100% biodiesel (B100) and diesel (D100). Compared to D100, B100 CE produced a significant accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins (carbonyls), an increase in 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), a reduction of protein thiols, a depletion of antioxidant gluthatione (GSH), a dose-related rise in the levels of biomarkers of tissue damage (lactate dehydrogenase, LDH) in lungs, and inflammation (myeloperoxidase, MPO) in both lungs and liver. Significant differences in the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, interferon (IFN) γ, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected in lungs and liver upon B100 and D100 CE exposures. Overall, the tissue damage, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cytokine response were more pronounced in mice exposed to BD CE. Further studies are required to understand what combustion products in BD CE accelerate oxidative and inflammatory responses.

Gaseous and Particulate Emissions from Diesel Engines at Idle and under Load: Comparison of Biodiesel Blend and Ultralow Sulfur Diesel Fuels

Diesel exhaust emissions have been reported for a number of engine operating strategies, after-treatment technologies, and fuels. However, information is limited regarding emissions of many pollutants during idling and when biodiesel fuels are used. This study investigates regulated and unregulated emissions from both light-duty passenger car (1.7 L) and medium-duty (6.4 L) diesel engines at idle and load and compares a biodiesel blend (B20) to conventional ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel. Exhaust aftertreatment devices included a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a diesel particle filter (DPF). For the 1.7 L engine under load without a DOC, B20 reduced brake-specific emissions of particulate matter (PM), elemental carbon (EC), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), and most volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compared to ULSD; however, formaldehyde brake-specific emissions increased. With a DOC and high load, B20 increased brake-specific emissions of NMHC, nitrogen oxides (NOx), formaldehyde, naphthalene, and several other VOCs. For the 6.4 L engine under load, B20 reduced brake-specific emissions of PM2.5, EC, formaldehyde, and most VOCs; however, NOx brake-specific emissions increased. When idling, the effects of fuel type were different: B20 increased NMHC, PM2.5, EC, formaldehyde, benzene, and other VOC emission rates from both engines, and changes were sometimes large, e.g., PM2.5 increased by 60% for the 6.4 L/2004 calibration engine, and benzene by 40% for the 1.7 L engine with the DOC, possibly reflecting incomplete combustion and unburned fuel. Diesel exhaust emissions depended on the fuel type and engine load (idle versus loaded). The higher emissions found when using B20 are especially important given the recent attention to exposures from idling vehicles and the health significance of PM2.5. The emission profiles demonstrate the effects of fuel type, engine calibration, and emission control system, and they can be used as source profiles for apportionment, inventory, and exposure purposes.

Exhaust emissions from a diesel power generator fuelled by waste cooking oil biodiesel

The exhaust emissions from a diesel power generator operating with waste cooking oil biodiesel blends have been studied. Fuel blends with 25%, 50% and 75% of biodiesel concentration in diesel oil were tested, varying engine load from 0 to 25 kW. The original engine settings for diesel oil operation were kept the same during the experiments with the biodiesel blends. The main physical-chemical characteristics of the fuel blends used were measured to help with the analysis of the emission results. The results show that the addition of biodiesel to the fuel increases oxides of nitrogen (NO(X)), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and exhaust gas opacity were also increased with the use of biodiesel. Major increase of NO(X) was observed at low loads, while CO and HC were mainly increased at high loads. Using 50% of biodiesel in diesel oil, the average increase of CO(2), CO, HC and NO(X) throughout the load range investigated was 8.5%, 20.1%, 23.5% and 4.8%, respectively.

Controlling soot formation with filtered EGR for diesel and biodiesel fuelled engines

Although exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is an effective strategy for controlling the levels of nitrogen oxides (NO(X)) emitted from a diesel engine, the full potential of EGR in NO(X)/PM trade-off and engine performance (i.e., fuel economy) has not fully been exploited. Significant work into the cause and control of particulate matter (PM) has been made over the past decade with new cleaner fuels and after-treatment devices emerging to comply with the current and forthcoming emission regulations. In earlier work, we demonstrated that engine operation with oxygenated fuels (e.g., biodiesel) reduces the PM emissions and extends the engine tolerance to EGR before it reaches smoke-limited conditions. The same result has also been reported when high cetane number fuels such as gas-to-liquid (GTL) are used. To further our understanding of the relationship between EGR and PM formation, a diesel particulate filter (DPF) was integrated into the EGR loop to filter the recirculated soot particulates. The control of the soot recirculation penalty through filtered EGR (FEGR) resulted in a 50% engine-out soot reduction, thus showing the possibility of extending the maximum EGR limit or being able to run at the same level of EGR with an improved NO(X)/soot trade-off.

Real-time gaseous, PM and ultrafine particle emissions from a modern marine engine operating on biodiesel

Emissions from harbor-craft significantly affect air quality in populated regions near ports and inland waterways. This research measured regulated and unregulated emissions from an in-use EPA Tier 2 marine propulsion engine on a ferry operating in a bay following standard methods. A special effort was made to monitor continuously both the total Particulate Mass (PM) mass emissions and the real-time Particle Size Distribution (PSD). The engine was operated following the loads in ISO 8178-4 E3 cycle for comparison with the certification standards and across biodiesel blends. Real-time measurements were also made during a typical cruise in the bay. Results showed the in-use nitrogen oxide (NOx) and PM(2.5) emission factors were within the not to exceed standard for Tier 2 marine engines. Comparing across fuels we observed the following: a) no statistically significant change in NO(x) emissions with biodiesel blends (B20, B50); b) ∼ 16% and ∼ 25% reduction of PM(2.5) mass emissions with B20 and B50 respectively; c) a larger organic carbon (OC) to elemental carbon (EC) ratio and organic mass (OM) to OC ratio with B50 compared to B20 and B0; d) a significant number of ultrafine nuclei and a smaller mass mean diameter with increasing blend-levels of biodiesel. The real-time monitoring of gaseous and particulate emissions during a typical cruise in the San Francisco Bay (in-use cycle) revealed important effects of ocean/bay currents on emissions: NO(x) and CO(2) increased 3-fold; PM(2.5) mass increased 6-fold; and ultrafine particles disappeared due to the effect of bay currents. This finding has implications on the use of certification values instead of actual in-use emission values when developing inventories. Emission factors for some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbonyls, and poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are reported as supplemental data.

Biodiesel emissions profile in modern diesel vehicles. Part 2: Effect of biodiesel origin on carbonyl, PAH, nitro-PAH and oxy-PAH emissions

In the present study, the effects of different biodiesel blends on the unregulated emissions of a Euro 4 compliant passenger car were examined. Two fresh and two oxidized biodiesel fuels of different source materials were blended with an ultra low sulphur automotive diesel fuel at proportions of 10, 20, and 30% v/v. Emission measurements were conducted on a chassis dynamometer with a constant volume sampling (CVS) technique, over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and the Artemis driving cycles. The experimental results revealed that the addition of biodiesel led to important increases in most carbonyl compounds. Sharp increases were observed with the use of the oxidized biodiesel blends, especially those prepared from used frying oil methyl esters. Similar to carbonyl emissions, most PAH compounds increased with the addition of the oxidized biodiesel blends. It can be assumed that the presence of polymerization products and cyclic acids, along with the degree of unsaturation were the main factors that influenced carbonyl and PAH emissions profile.

Investigation on the gaseous and particulate emissions of a compression ignition engine fueled with diesel-dimethyl carbonate blends

The effect of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) on the gaseous and particulate emissions of a diesel engine was investigated using Euro V diesel fuel blended with different proportions of DMC. Combustion analysis shows that, with the blended fuel, the ignition delay and the heat release rate in the premixed combustion phase increase, while the total combustion duration and the fuel consumed in the diffusion combustion phase decrease. Compared with diesel fuel, with an increase of DMC in the blended fuel, the brake thermal efficiency is slightly improved but the brake specific fuel consumption increases. On the emission side, CO increases significantly at low engine load but decreases at high engine load while HC decreases slightly. NO(x) reduces slightly but the reduction is not statistically significant, while NO(2) increases slightly. Particulate mass and number concentrations decrease upon using the blended fuel while the geometric mean diameter of the particles shifts towards smaller size. Overall speaking, diesel-DMC blends lead to significant improvement in particulate emissions while the impact on CO, HC and NO(x) emissions is small.

Characteristics of particulate emissions from a diesel generator fueled with varying blends of biodiesel and fossil diesel

This study investigated the particulate matter (PM), particle-bound carbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted from a diesel-engine generator fuelled with blends of pure fossil diesel oil (D100) and varying percentages of waste-edible-oil biodiesel (W10, 10 vol %; W20, 20 vol %; W30, 30 vol %; and W50, 50 vol %) under generator loads of 0, 1.5, and 3 kW. On average, the PM emission factors of all blends was 30.5 % (range, 13.7-52.3 %) lower than that of D100 under the tested loads. Substituting pure fossil diesel oil with varying percentages of waste-edible-oil biodiesel reduced emissions of particle-bound total carbon (TC) and elemental carbon (EC). The W20 blend had the lowest particle-bound organic carbon (OC) emissions. Notably, W10, W20, and W30 also had lower Total-PAH emissions and lower total equivalent toxicity (Total-BaP(eq)) compared to D100. Additionally, the brake-specific fuel consumption of the generator correlated positively with the ratio of waste-edible-oil biodiesel to pure fossil diesel. However, generator energy efficiency correlated negatively with the ratio of waste-edible-oil biodiesel to pure fossil diesel.

Performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine fueled with ethanol-diesel blends in different altitude regions

In order to investigate the effects ethanol-diesel blends and altitude on the performance and emissions of diesel engine, the comparative experiments were carried out on the bench of turbo-charged diesel engine fueled with pure diesel (as prototype) and ethanol-diesel blends (E10, E15, E20 and E30) under different atmospheric pressures (81 kPa, 90 kPa and 100 kPa). The experimental results indicate that the equivalent brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of ethanol-diesel blends are better than that of diesel under different atmospheric pressures and that the equivalent BSFC gets great improvement with the rise of atmospheric pressure when the atmospheric pressure is lower than 90 kPa. At 81 kPa, both HC and CO emissions rise greatly with the increasing engine speeds and loads and addition of ethanol, while at 90 kPa and 100 kPa their effects on HC and CO emissions are slightest. The changes of atmospheric pressure and mix proportion of ethanol have no obvious effect on NO(x) emissions. Smoke emissions decrease obviously with the increasing percentage of ethanol in blends, especially atmospheric pressure below 90 kPa.

Effects of low concentration biodiesel blends application on modern passenger cars. Part 2: impact on carbonyl compound emissions

Today in most European member states diesel contains up to 5% vol biodiesel. Since blending is expected to increase to 10% vol, the question arises, how this higher mixing ratio will affect tailpipe emissions particularly those linked to adverse health effects. This paper focuses on the impact of biodiesel on carbonyl compound emissions, attempting also to identify possible relationship between biodiesel feedstock and emissions. The blends were produced from five different feedstocks, commonly used in Europe. Measurements were conducted on a Euro 3 common-rail passenger car over various driving cycles. Results indicate that generally the use of biodiesel at low concentrations has a minor effect on carbonyl compound emissions. However, certain biodiesels resulted in significant increases while others led to decreases. Biodiesels associated with increases were those derived from rapeseed oil (approx. 200%) and palm oil (approx. 180%), with the highest average increases observed at formaldehyde and acroleine/acetone.

Effects of low concentration biodiesel blend application on modern passenger cars. Part 1: feedstock impact on regulated pollutants, fuel consumption and particle emissions

Five biodiesels from different feedstocks (rapeseed, soy, sunflower, palm, and used fried oils) blended with diesel at 10% vol. ratio (B10), were tested on a Euro 3 common-rail passenger car. Limited effects (-2% to +4%) were observed on CO(2) emissions. CO and HC emissions increased between 10% and 25% on average, except at high speed - high power where emissions were too low to draw conclusions. NOx emissions increased by up to 20% for two out of the five blends, decreased by up to 15% for two other blends, and remained unchanged for one blend. Particulate matter (PM) was reduced for all blends by up to 25% and the reductions were positively correlated with the extent of biodiesel saturation. PM reductions are associated with consistent reductions in non-volatile particle number. A variable behaviour in particle number is observed when volatile particles are also accounted.

Experimental study on particulate and NOx emissions of a diesel engine fueled with ultra low sulfur diesel, RME-diesel blends and PME-diesel blends

Ultra low sulfur diesel and two different kinds of biodiesel fuels blended with baseline diesel fuel in 5% and 20% v/v were tested in a Cummins 4BTA direct injection diesel engine, with a turbocharger and an intercooler. Experiments were conducted under five engine loads at two steady speeds (1500 rpm and 2500 rpm). The study aims at investigating the engine performance, NO(x) emission, smoke opacity, PM composition, PM size distribution and comparing the impacts of low sulfur content of biodiesel with ULSD on the particulate emission. The results indicate that, compared to base diesel fuel, the increase of biodiesel in blends could cause certain increase in both brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency. Compared with baseline diesel fuel, the biodiesel blends bring about more NO(x) emissions. With the proportion of biodiesel increase in blends, the smoke opacity decreases, while total particle number concentration increases. Meanwhile the ULSD gives lower NO(x) emissions, smoke opacity and total number concentration than those of baseline diesel fuel. In addition, the percentages of SOF and sulfate in particulates increase with biodiesel in blends, while the dry soot friction decreases obviously. Compared with baseline diesel fuel, the biodiesel blends increase the total nucleation number concentration, while ULSD reduces the total nucleation number concentration effectively, although they all have lower sulfur content. It means that, for ULSD, the lower sulfur content is the dominant factor for suppressing nucleation particles formation, while for biodiesel blends, lower volatile, lower aromatic content and higher oxygen content of biodiesel are key factors for improving the nucleation particles formation. The results demonstrate that the higher NO(x) emission and total nucleation number concentration are considered as the big obstacles of the application of biodiesel in diesel engine.

Emissions characteristics of a diesel engine operating on biodiesel and biodiesel blended with ethanol and methanol

Euro V diesel fuel, pure biodiesel and biodiesel blended with 5%, 10% and 15% of ethanol or methanol were tested on a 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated direct-injection diesel engine. Experiments were conducted under five engine loads at a steady speed of 1800 r/min. The study aims to investigate the effects of the blended fuels on reducing NO(x) and particulate. On the whole, compared with Euro V diesel fuel, the blended fuels could lead to reduction of both NO(x) and PM of a diesel engine, with the biodiesel-methanol blends being more effective than the biodiesel-ethanol blends. The effectiveness of NO(x) and particulate reductions is more effective with increase of alcohol in the blends. With high percentage of alcohol in the blends, the HC, CO emissions could increase and the brake thermal efficiency might be slightly reduced but the use of 5% blends could reduce the HC and CO emissions as well. With the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), the HC, CO and particulate emissions can be further reduced.