Evaluation of Microbial Phospholipase and Lipase Activity Through the Chromatographic Analysis of Crude, Degummed, and Transesterified Soybean Oil for Biodiesel Production

The present study aimed at synthesizing fatty acid methyl esters in a combined enzymatic method by applying degumming and transesterification of soybean oil. A soluble lipase from Serratia sp. W3 and a recombinant phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C (PC-PLC) from Bacillus thuringiensis were used in a consecutive manner for phosphorus removal and conversion into methyl esters. By applying 1% of recombinant PC-PLC almost 83% of phosphorus was removed (final content of 21.01 mg/kg). Moreover, a sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was applied to obtain a comprehensive lipid profile for the simultaneous evaluation of phospholipids removal and diacylglycerol (DAG) increase. A significant increase for all the monitored DAG species, up to 138.42%, was observed by using the enzymatic degumming, in comparison to the crude sample, resulting in an increased oil yield. Serratia sp. W3 lipase was identified as a suitable biocatalyst for biodiesel production, converting efficiently the acylglycerols. The results regarding the physical-chemical characteristics show that the cetane level, density and pour point of the obtained biodiesel are close to current regulation requirements. These findings highlight the potential of a two-step process implementation, based on the combination of lipase and phospholipase, as a suitable alternative for biodiesel production.

Properties of waste-distilled engine oil and biodiesel ternary blends

This study aims to improve the fuel properties limitations of biodiesel which affect the engine performance characteristics in diesel engines. A ternary mixture simplex axial design model was used to determine the fuel properties of ternary blend mixture of waste distilled engine oil, waste cooking oil biodiesel, and petroleum diesel, and comparing it with existing physical properties models. The fuel properties namely: heating value, flash point, cetane number, density, and viscosity were determined by changing the composition in the ternary mixture design. Furthermore, the experimental data of the mixture model was fitted with existing viscosity, density, heating value, and flash point models. The viscosities were fitted with the Cragoe, Bingham, Arrhenius, and Kendall–Monroe viscosity models at 40 °C respectively. The best fit of the experimental data occurred in the following descending order: Arrhenius, Kendall–Monroe, Bingham, and Cragoe with R² values of 0.9771, 0.9529, 0.9508, and 0.6096, respectively. The density at 20 °C, heating value, flash point, and cetane number were fitted with Kay's model based on the mixing empirical equation. The results showed that these properties were well predicted by Kay's model mixing rule empirical model due to high values of R² of 0.9880, 0.978, 0.9929, and 0.961 respectively. The viscosity, density, heating value, and flash point of the ternary blend mixtures are within the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D 6751 and ASTM D 975 specifications range.

Effects of Propanol and Camphor Blended with Gasoline Fuel on the Performance and Emissions of a Spark Ignition Engine

In this research, the performance and emissions of a four-stroke spark ignition engine fuelled with varying proportion of propanol-camphor and gasoline blends were investigated. The physicochemical properties such as specific gravity, viscosity, fire point, flash point, and iodine value (I.V.) of the blends were determined, and the values obtained conform to the ASTM standard. Sample P0B (100% of pure gasoline and 5 g of camphor) had the best physicochemical property values higher than those of the least sample of P15B by the following percentages: specific gravity (0.5%), viscosity (30.8%), fire point (5.08%), flash point (21.8%), and I.V. sample (0.5%). Also, the engine performance parameters such as brake power, brake thermal efficiency, brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), and specific fuel consumption were generated from the engine-measured parameters. Sample P0B has the best specific fuel consumption for the torque of 3 N m with a value of 22.77 kg/kW h, and sample P0A (100% of pure gasoline) has the best fuel consumption for a torque of 6 N m with a value of 12.52 kg/kW h. For brake thermal efficiency, sample P0B gives the best brake thermal efficiency at the two constant torques with a value of 0.36 for torque 3 N m and 0.67 for torque 6 N m. Sample P15C (85% of gasoline, 15% of propanol, and 5 g of camphor) gives the best BMEP at torque 3 N m with a value of 1.92 bar, and sample P5C (95% of gasoline, 5% of propanol, and 10 g of camphor) gives the best BMEP at 6 N m with a value of 3.85 bar. Exhaust emissions were analyzed for unburned hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrogen oxide (NOx). The results showed that increasing the blending percentage reduces the emitted concentration of CO, HC, and NOx. Carbon monoxide emission was found to be lowest at sample P10A (90% of gasoline and 10% of propanol) for torque 3 N m with a value of 0.16, and at torque 6 N m, the sample with the lowest percentage was P15C with a percentage of 0.21.

Effect of Mixed Commercial Cold Flow Improvers on Flow Properties of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil

The uniform design method was used to screen the solidifying point depressing effects of 18 traditional diesel cold flow improvers on biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil. The cold flow improvers with good effects were selected for orthogonal optimization. Finally, the mixed cold flow improver (CFI) with the best depressing effect was selected to explore its depressing mechanism for biodiesel. The results show that the typical CFIs such as A132, A146, 10-320, 10-330, A-4, CS-1, AH-BSFH, Haote, T1804D, and HL21 all have a certain solidifying point depressing effect on biodiesel, while other cold flow improvers had no obvious effect. Amongst them, 10-330 (PMA polymer) and AH-BSFH (EVA polymer) had better solidifying point depressing effects over others, both of which reduced the solidifying point (SP) of biodiesel by 4 °C and the cold filter plugging point (CFPP) by 2 °C and 3 °C, respectively. From the orthogonal mixing experiment, it can be seen that the combination of 10-330 and AH-BSFH at a mass ratio of 1:8 had the best depressing effect, reducing the solidifying point and cold filter plugging point of biodiesel by 5 °C and 3 °C, respectively. Orthogonal analysis showed that when used in combination, AH-BSFH had a greater impact on the solidifying point, while the ratio of the combination had a greater impact on the cold filter plugging point.

Terminalia bellirica: a new biodiesel for diesel engine: a comparative experimental investigation

In the present study, Terminalia bellirica methyl ester (TBME)/biodiesel was formed using potassium hydroxide as catalyst. Methyl ester fuel properties were resolved as per ASTM standard. The attribute of compression ignition (CI) engine such as combustion, performance, and released emission qualities of samples, such as diesel and TBME blends (B10, B20, B30, B50, and B100), were deliberated on a single-cylinder CI engine. By varying the load to 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, test data were measured. Using AVL DI GAS 444N (five gas) analyzer dissimilarity in the engine emissions were documented. The results of biodiesel test blends show the similar combustion and performance to diesel curves with minor decrement. However, CO and HC emission diminish when engine fueled with TBME test blends whereas NO_x amplifies.

Biocides Used as Additives to Biodiesels and Their Risks to the Environment and Public Health: A Review

One of the advantages of using biodiesel and its blends with diesel oil is the lower levels of emissions of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, among others, making it less harmful to the environment and to humans. However, this biofuel is susceptible to microbial contamination and biodeterioration. In this sense, studies on the use of effective low toxicity biocides are being carried out, and this work aims to present the latest information (2008⁻2018) available in the scientific databases, on the use of biocides in biodiesel, mainly concerning their toxicity to the environment and public health. The results showed that in relation to the control of microbial contamination, the current scenario is limited, with seven publications, in which the most studied additives were isothiazolinones, oxazolidines, thiocyanates, morpholines, oxaborinanes, thiocarbamates and phenolic antioxidants. Studies regarding direct experiments with humans have not been found, showing the need for more studies in this area, since the potential growth of biodiesel production and consumption in the world is evident. Thus, there are need for more studies on antimicrobial products for use in biodiesel, with good broad-spectrum activity (bactericidal and fungicidal), and further toxicological tests to ensure no or little impact on the environment.

Improvement studies on emission and combustion characteristics of DICI engine fuelled with colloidal emulsion of diesel distillate of plastic oil, TiO2 nanoparticles and water

Experimentation was conducted on a single cylinder CI engine using processed colloidal emulsions of TiO₂ nanoparticle-water-diesel distillate of crude plastic diesel oil as test fuel. The test fuel was prepared with plastic diesel oil as the principal constituent by a novel blending technique with an aim to improve the working characteristics. The results obtained by the test fuel from the experiments were compared with that of commercial petro-diesel (CPD) fuel for same engine operating parameters. Plastic oil produced from high density polyethylene plastic waste by pyrolysis was subjected to fractional distillation for separating plastic diesel oil (PDO) that contains diesel range hydrocarbons. The blending process showed a little improvement in the field of fuel oil-water-nanometal oxide colloidal emulsion preparation due to the influence of surfactant in electrostatic stabilization, dielectric potential, and pH of the colloidal medium on the absolute value of zeta potential, a measure of colloidal stability. The engine tests with nano-emulsions of PDO showed an increase in ignition delay (23.43%), and decrease in EGT (6.05%), BSNO_x (7.13%), and BSCO (28.96%) relative to PDO at rated load. Combustion curve profiles, percentage distribution of compounds, and physical and chemical properties of test fuels ascertains these results. The combustion acceleration at diffused combustion phase was evidenced in TiO₂ emulsion fuels under study.

Experimental assessment of non-edible candlenut biodiesel and its blend characteristics as diesel engine fuel

Exploring new renewable energy sources as a substitute of petroleum reserves is necessary due to fulfilling the oncoming energy needs for industry and transportation systems. In this quest, a lot of research is going on to expose different kinds of new biodiesel sources. The non-edible oil from candlenut possesses the potential as a feedstock for biodiesel production. The present study aims to produce biodiesel from crude candlenut oil by using two-step transesterification process, and 10%, 20%, and 30% of biodiesel were mixed with diesel fuel as test blends for engine testing. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and gas chromatography (GC) were performed and analyzed to characterize the biodiesel. Also, the fuel properties of biodiesel and its blends were measured and compared with the specified standards. The thermal stability of the fuel blends was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scan calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Engine characteristics were measured in a Yanmar TF120M single cylinder direct injection (DI) diesel engine. Biodiesel produced from candlenut oil contained 15% free fatty acid (FFA), and two-step esterification and transesterification were used. FTIR and GC remarked the biodiesels' existing functional groups and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition. The thermal analysis of the biodiesel blends certified about the blends' stability regarding thermal degradation, melting and crystallization temperature, oxidative temperature, and storage stability. The brake power (BP), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of the biodiesel blends decreased slightly with an increasing pattern of nitric oxide (NO) emission. However, the hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxides (CO) of biodiesel blends were found decreased.

Nanoparticle-rich diesel exhaust-induced liver damage via inhibited transactivation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha

Diesel exhaust emission contains a high amount of nano-sized particles and is considered to be systemically distributed in the body. However, few studies about the effects of nanoparticle rich-diesel exhaust (NR-DE) on liver have been reported. The present investigation focuses on the effects of NR-DE on livers in rats, especially concerning inflammation and lipid metabolism. Male F344 rats were exposed to fresh air or low (24 ± 7 µg/m³ ), medium (39 ± 4 µg/m³ ) and high (138 ± 20 µg/m³ ) concentrations of NR-DE for 1, 2, or 3 months (5 hours/day, 5 days/week). Exposure to both medium and high concentrations of NR-DE for one month increased plasma asparate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities, while only high concentrations increased plasma interleukin-6 and hepatic nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), suggesting that activation of hepatic inflammatory signaling took place. Although these exposures elevated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α levels or its binding activity to the response element, neither activated PPARα-target genes such as β-oxidative enzymes nor inhibited NFκB elevation. Thus, NR-DE may contain some materials that inhibit PPARα activation in relation to lipid metabolism and inflammation. Taken together, NR-DE exposure at one month may cause inflammation; however, this finding may not be observed after a longer exposure period. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1985-1995, 2016.

Retardation of oxidation and material degradation in biodiesel: a review

In the automobile sector, biodiesel has received considerable attention as a promising diesel substitute because of its enhanced lubricity and reduced emissions.

Cavitation erosion and wear behaviour of a boron cast iron cylinder liner under bio-fuel conditions

The use of renewable bio-fuel in internal combustion engines is the trend for the near future.

A comprehensive study on the improvement of oxidation stability and NOx emission levels by antioxidant addition to biodiesel blends in a light-duty diesel engine

Moringa oleifera oil, a non-edible biodiesel feedstock with high unsaturated fatty acid content, was used in this study.

A comprehensive review on biodiesel cold flow properties and oxidation stability along with their improvement processes

Biodiesel, which comprises fatty acid esters, is derived from different sources, such as vegetable oils from palm, sunflower, soybean, canola, Jatropha, and cottonseed sources, animal fats, and waste cooking oil.