Review on the Use of Diesel–Biodiesel–Alcohol Blends in Compression Ignition Engines

RSM integrated GWO, Driving Training, and Election-Based Algorithms for optimising ethylic biodiesel from ternary oil of neem, animal fat, and jatropha

The worldwide exploration of the ethanolysis protocol (EP) has decreased despite the multifaceted benefits of ethanol, such as lower toxicity, higher oxygen content, higher renewability, and fewer emission tail compared to methanol, and the enhanced fuel properties with improved engine characteristics of multiple-oily feedstocks (MOFs) compared to single-oily feedstocks. The study first proposed a strategy for the optimisation of ethylic biodiesel synthesis from MOFs: neem, animal fat, and jatropha oil (NFJO) on a batch reactor. The project's goals were to ensure environmental benignity and encourage the use of totally biobased products. This was made possible by the introduction of novel population based algorithms such as Driving Training-Based Optimization (DTBO) and Election-Based Optimization (EBOA), which were compared with the widely used Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) combined with Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The yield of NFJO ethyl ester (NFJOEE) was predicted using the RSM technique, and the ideal transesterification conditions were determined using the DTBO, EBOA, and GWO algorithms. Reaction time showed a strong linear relationship with ethylic biodiesel yield, while ethanol-to-NFJO molar ratio, catalyst dosage, and reaction temperature showed nonlinear effects. Reaction time was the most significant contributor to NFJOEE yield.The important fundamental characteristics of the fuel categories were investigated using the ASTM test procedures. The maximum NFJOEE yield (86.3%) was obtained at an ethanol/NFJO molar ratio of 5.99, KOH content of 0.915 wt.%, ethylic duration of 67.43 min, and reaction temperature of 61.55 °C. EBOA outperforms DTBO and GWO regarding iteration and computation time, converging towards a global fitness value equal to 7 for 4 s, 20 for 5 s and 985 for 34 s. The key fuel properties conformed to the standards outlined by ASTMD6751 and EN 14,214 specifications. The NFJOEE fuel processing cost is 0.9328 USD, and is comparatively lesser than that of conventional diesel. The new postulated population based algorithm models can be a prospective approach for enhancing biodiesel production from numerous MOFs and ensuring a balanced ecosystem and fulfilling enviromental benignity when adopted.

Influence of oxyhydrogen gas retrofit into two-stroke engine on emissions and exhaust gas temperature variations

The generation of power and fuel sustainability that contributes to a cleaner output of exhaust gases is one of the most important objectives the world seeks. In this paper, oxyhydrogen gas is used to retrofit into a two-stroke engine. The water was electrolysed and generated a mixture of oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2) or known as oxyhydrogen (HHO) gas via an electrolytic dry cell generator. The HHO was retrofitted experimentally to investigate the engine emissions and exhaust gas temperature from a 1.5 kW gasoline engine. The engine was tested with different power ratings (84-720 W) to investigate the performance and emissions of the engine using gasoline followed by the addition of HHO. The emissions of CO and NOx were measured with different amounts of HHO added. The exhaust temperature was calculated as one of the variables to be considered in relation to pollution. The air-fuel ratios are varied from 12 to 20% in the experiment. The most appropriate air-fuel ratio needed to start the generator with the most environmentally friendly gas emission was analysed. The results showed that the addition of HHO to the engine is successful in reducing fuel consumption up to 8.9%. A higher percentage of HHO added also has improved the emissions and reduced exhaust gas temperature. In this study, the highest quantity of HHO added at 0.15% of the volume fraction reduced CO gas emission by up to 9.41%, NOx gas up to 4.31%, and exhaust gas temperature by up to 2.02%. Generally, adding oxyhydrogen gas has significantly reduced the emissions, and exhaust temperature and provided an eco-friendly environment.

Investigating the impact of n-heptane (C7H16) and nanoparticles (TiO2) on diesel-microalgae biodiesel blend in CI diesel engines

Recent global challenges encompass profound environmental pollution and the depletion of finite fuel resources. In this study, the biodiesel used in the mixture was derived from Azolla pinnata microalgae oil through a trans-esterification reaction chosen for its high oil concentration. During the initial phase of the experiment, varying volumes of biodiesel (5%, 10%, and 15%) and n-heptane (5%, 10%, and 15%) were introduced to diesel to form a ternary fuel blend. The experimental outcome shows that an n-heptane and biodiesel mixture of 10% by volume would produce the best results. Next, experiments were carried out by incorporating 10, 40, and 80 ppm titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) in a recommended ternary fuel blend. The experimental investigation showed that D80A10H10TNP40 (diesel 80% + biodiesel 10% + n-heptane 10% + TiO2 40 ppm) caused a 7.21% increase in brake thermal efficiency (BTE) with a decrease in brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) by 9.58% and 10%, respectively, compared to (diesel 80% + biodiesel 20%) D80A20. D80A10H10TNP40 exhibits lower emissions, with a significant reduction of 11.29% and 20.96% in carbon monoxide (CO) and unburnt hydrocarbons (UBHC), respectively. Nitrogen oxide (NOX) and smoke emissions were reduced by 3.3% and 11.13%, respectively, compared to D80A10H10. Furthermore, D80A10H10TNP40 demonstrated enhanced combustion properties, comprising a significant rise of 4.39% in-cylinder pressure (CP), 35.29% in heat release rate (HRR), and 25.05% in the rate of pressure rise (RPR). The findings of this investigation indicate that D80A10H10TNP40 exhibits enhanced efficiency, emission, and combustion properties compared to the D80A20 fuel.

An analysis of environment effect on ethanol blends with plastic fuel and blend optimization using a full factorial design

There is a growing amount of plastic waste that needs to be properly disposed of in order to protect the environment from the negative effects of increasing reliance on plastic products. Recent interest has focused on chemical recycling as a means of reducing plastic's negative environmental effects. Converting waste plastics into basic petrochemicals allows them to serve as hydrocarbon feedstock or fuel oil through pyrolysis operations. Scientists have taken a keen interest in the production of bioethanol from renewable feedstocks due to its potential as a source of energy and alternative fuel. Due to its beneficial effects on the environment, ethanol has emerged as a promising biofuel. In this paper, energy recovered from low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene waste was converted into an alternative plastic fuel and evaluated for its environmental impact with the blending of ethanol in a diesel engine. Ternary fuel blends with 20%, 30%, and 40% waste plastic fuel and 10%, 15%, and 20% ethanol with standard diesel were tested. The study found that blending 10% ethanol with 20% plastic fuel decreased fuel consumption by around 7.9% compared to base diesel. Carbon monoxide emissions are reduced by about 10.2%, and hydrocarbon emissions are reduced by about 13.43% when using the same ternary blend. The optimum values of fuel consumption and emissions were obtained by full factorial design for a ternary fuel blend of 10% ethanol and 20% plastic fuel at the full load condition.

An experimental study of the effects of fuel injection pressure on the characteristics of a diesel engine fueled by the third generation Azolla biodiesel

This study focuses on effectively utilizing the biodiesel extracted from Azolla (third-generation biofuel), which is regarded as a renewable energy source, for fueling diesel engines. Biodiesel is unique due to its increased viscosity and different fatty acid composition, which proved difficult to attain better engine performance with a mechanical type injection system. This study expands on the previous investigation in modifying the fuel system when using Azolla biodiesel by using a common rail fuel injection system with wider injection flexibility. Considering the lack of more engine optimization studies for Azolla biodiesel, a parametric study is conducted by changing the fuel injection pressure in the range between 300 bar and 900 bar for diesel engine fueled by B20 (20% Azolla +80% diesel) blend. The experimental engine study revealed that the physical properties of the fuel adversely affect the in-cylinder combustion, which leads to poor engine performance and higher emissions at lower injection pressure (300 bar) for B20 when compared to diesel. As the injection pressure increases, the fuel atomization and other spray characteristics are enhanced and thereby improve the combustion. The Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) for B20 at 900 bar injection pressure is 3% higher than the diesel fuel at 300 bar injection pressure under full load conditions. The HC, CO, and smoke emission in the engine exhaust for B20 at 900 bar injection pressure was reduced by 13.3%, 28.5%, and 12.3%, respectively, when compared to diesel. Overall, this study recommends the operation of Azolla biodiesel blend in diesel at 900 bar fuel injection pressure to attain improved engine characteristics.

Modeling of Diesel Engine Fuel Systems Reliability When Operating on Biofuels

One of the main trends in the development of modern engine building is the use of biodiesel fuel, which can lead to a decrease in the reliability of engines that are not adapted to it. However, at present there is no general method for determining the reliability of fuel systems of internal combustion engines. In this paper, a reliability model of engine fuel systems when operating on biofuel has been developed. Comprehensive indicators for assessing the reliability of diesel engine fuel systems are the coefficient of readiness and technical use. The availability factor of the fuel system when operating on biodiesel fuel without the replacement of structural materials was 0.66, while with the replacement it was 0.71, and the coefficient of technical utilization without replacement of materials was 0.36, and with the replacement of 0.4. Recommendations are given to improve the reliability of the engine fuel system components. The resulting model allows for complex comparisons of the effectiveness of various ways to improve the reliability of engines running on biodiesel fuel.

Experimental Investigation of Hydrous Ethanol Gasoline on Engine Noise, Cyclic Variations and Combustion Characteristics

Nowadays, the noise pollution of internal combustion engines is a very important factor influencing human health and is the main noise source of urban environmental noise. Additionally, the main source of gasoline engine noise consists of combustion noise in the cylinder, where the combustion noise is influenced by the combustion processes within the combustion chamber, especially the cyclic variation in the engine combustion. Thus, the inter-relationship between engine noise, cyclic variation and combustion is of great interest to be explored. Moreover, despite the environmental advantages of clean energy, the impact of different fuels on the internal combustion engine’s noise emissions cannot be ignored. As a result, in this work, three blends were prepared and used as test fuels, namely pure gasoline (E0), 10% hydrous ethanol (E10W) and 20% hydrous ethanol (E20W) by volume, accompanied by engine operating at a steady speed of 2000 r/min under various loads. The experimental results show that lower engine noise was observed for both E10W and E20W compared to E0. Upon the addition of hydrous ethanol, the peak in-cylinder pressure increased while the maximum pressure rise rate ((dp/dφ)max) decreased at the low and medium loads. Furthermore, the coefficients of variation in indicated mean effective pressure (COVimep) and COV(dp/dφ)max for the two blended fuels were higher than those for pure gasoline. Compared with those of E20W, E10W has lower COVimep and COV(dp/dφ)max at low and medium loads. The (dp/dφ)max and noise emission have a positive relation when the engine is fueled with the hydrous ethanol–gasoline blends, whereas the cyclic variation parameters vary in the opposite direction of the noise emission level for all the blend mixtures. Moreover, (dp/dφ)max has an essential effect on the combustion noise from a gasoline engine.

Effectiveness of Ethyl Acetate, 1-Octanol, and Soy Biodiesel in Stabilizing Ethanol-Diesel Fuel Blends and Performance of Compression Ignition Engine on Stabilized Fuel Blends

A study was conducted to evaluate ethyl acetate, soy biodiesel, and 1-octanol as surfactants for stabilization of ethanol-diesel fuel blends. The evaluation was based on the temperature stability and engine performance of ethanol-diesel fuel blends stabilized by selected surfactants. Among the three selected surfactants, 1-octanol was most effective in stabilizing ethanol-diesel fuel blends. Out of 20 ethanol-diesel fuel blends prepared with 1-octanol as surfactant, only 3 blends showed distinct phase separation; the rest 17 remained stable in the entire temperature range of 0-45 °C. At the rated engine speed, eight ethanol-diesel fuel blends showed similar power-producing capability as that of diesel. The engine running on diesel developed a power of 3.71 kW, while the engine brake power with ethanol-diesel fuel blends was in the range of 3.67-3.74 kW at the rated load condition. The tested fuel blends resulted in slightly higher fuel consumption and increased emission of unburnt hydrocarbons as compared to the diesel fuel. The tested fuel blends had comparable thermal efficiency and acceptable UBHC and NO _x emissions compared to diesel.

Assessment of the Impact of the Addition of Biomethanol to Diesel Fuel on the Coking Process of Diesel Engine Injectors

The paper presents unique research results on the effect of coking of diesel engine injector nozzles powered by mixtures of 10%, 20% and 30% biomethanol and diesel fuel compared to the engine being supplied with pure diesel fuel. The test results, obtained from an experiment conducted in accordance with the ISO 15550-1 standard, show the legitimacy of using biomethanol as an additive to diesel fuel due to the lower coking effect of the injector nozzles, which has a positive impact on the reduction of pollutant emissions during engine operation. Regarding the CEC PF-023 test, the tendency to reduce the coking tendency increases the percentage of biomethanol additive to diesel fuel. With a 10% share of biomethnol, the average coking effect of the injectors is over 1% lower, but with a share of 30% of bio-methanol, the coking effect is nearly 2% lower.

Inter-Comparison of Particle and Gaseous Pollutant Emissions of a Euro 4 Motorcycle at Two Laboratories

The Euro 4 regulation, applicable since 2016 for L-category vehicles (i.e., two and three-wheelers, and mini cars) reduced the emission limits, but also introduced a new cycle, the WMTC (World Harmonized Motorcycle Test Cycle). The emission studies of Euro 4 motorcycles are limited, and most importantly there are no published studies comparing the results of different laboratories applying the new cycle. In this study we compared the particle and gaseous pollutants of one Euro 4 motorcycle measured in two laboratories in 2017 and 2020. The gaseous pollutant results had a variance (one standard deviation of the means) of 0.5% for CO2, 4–19% for CO, NOx, HC (hydrocarbons) and SPN (Solid Particle Number). The particulate matter mass results had higher variance of 50–60%. Additional tests with open configuration to mimic dilution at the tailpipe gave equivalent results to the closed configuration for the gaseous pollutants and SPN. The total particles (including volatiles) had significant differences between the two configurations, with the closed configuration giving higher results. The main conclusion of this study is that the new procedures have very good reproducibility, even for the SPN that is not regulated for L-category vehicles. However, the measurement of total particles needs attention due to the high sensitivity of volatile particles to the sampling conditions.

Recent Advances in Feedstock and Lipase Research and Development towards Commercialization of Enzymatic Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a biodegradable, renewable, and carbon-neutral alternative to petroleum diesel that can contribute to the global effort of minimizing the use of fossil fuels and meeting the ever-growing energy demands and stringent environmental constraints. The aim of this work was to (1) review the recent progress in feedstock development, including first, second, third, and fourth-generation feedstocks for biodiesel production; (2) discuss recent progress in lipase research and development as one of the key factors for establishing a cost-competitive biodiesel process in terms of enzyme sources, properties, immobilization, and transesterification efficiency; and (3) provide an update of the current challenges and opportunities for biodiesel commercialization from techno-economic and social perspectives. Related biodiesel producers, markets, challenges, and opportunities for biodiesel commercialization, including environmental considerations, are critically discussed.

A Comparative Analysis of Emissions from a Compression–Ignition Engine Powered by Diesel, Rapeseed Biodiesel, and Biodiesel from Chlorella protothecoides Biomass Cultured under Different Conditions

The priority faced by energy systems in road transport is to develop and implement clean technologies. These actions are expected to reduce emissions and slow down climate changes. An alternative in this case may be the use of biodiesel produced from microalgae. However, its production and use need to be justified economically and technologically. The main objective of this study was to determine the emissions from an engine powered by biodiesel produced from the bio-oil of Chlorella protothecoides cultured with different methods, i.e., using a pure chemical medium (BD-ABM) and a medium based on the effluents from an anaerobic reactor (BD-AAR). The results obtained were compared to the emissions from engines powered by conventional biodiesel from rapeseed oil (BD-R) and diesel from crude oil (D-CO). The use of effluents as a medium in Chlorella protothecoides culture had no significant effect on the properties of bio-oil nor the composition of FAME. In both cases, octadecatrienoic acid proved to be the major FAME (50% wt/wt), followed by oleic acid (ca. 22%) and octadecadienoic acid (over 15%). The effluents from UASB were found to significantly reduce the biomass growth rate and lipid content of the biomass. The CO2 emissions were comparable for all fuels tested and increased linearly along with an increasing engine load. The use of microalgae biodiesel resulted in a significantly lower CO emission compared to the rapeseed biofuel and contributed to lower NOx emission. Regardless of engine load tested, the HC emission was the highest in the engine powered by diesel. At low engine loads, it was significantly lower when the engine was powered by microalgae biodiesel than by rapeseed biodiesel.

Overview of Biodiesel Combustion in Mitigating the Adverse Impacts of Engine Emissions on the Sustainable Human–Environment Scenario

Air pollution is a precursor to many health issues such as difficulty breathing, asthma, lung and heart diseases, and cancer. This study presents a concise view of biodiesel combustion in mitigating pollutant emissions which are generated by the combustion of fossil fuels, thereby eliminating the negative effects on human health and the environment. Gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and carbon dioxide are found to be major exhaust emissions from vehicles running on fossil fuels. Excessive exposure to these pollutants was found to be a precursor to reductions in life expectancy via health complications in humans. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector were found to be 24% of total annual emissions, 74.5% of which came from the combustion of fossil fuel in road vehicles. Biodiesel combustion in vehicular engines is established to be a control technology in reducing gaseous pollutants toward building a sustainable and healthy human–environment scenario. The emissions reduction index from the United States National Biodiesel Board showed that the combustion of biodiesel wholly as a transportation fuel decreased total hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon, and sulfur emissions by 67%, 80%, 48%, and 100%, respectively. Evaluation of emission results from topical literature strongly suggests that the use of biodiesel is effective in the reduction in pollutants, which is beneficial to human and environmental sustainability.

Torque Prediction Model of a CI Engine for Agricultural Purposes Based on Exhaust Gas Temperatures and CFD-FVM Methodologies Validated with Experimental Tests

A truly universal system to optimize consumptions, monitor operation and predict maintenance interventions for internal combustion engines must be independent of onboard systems, if present. One of the least invasive methods of detecting engine performance involves the measurement of the exhaust gas temperature (EGT), which can be related to the instant torque through thermodynamic relations. The practical implementation of such a system requires great care since its torque-predictive capabilities are strongly influenced by the position chosen for the temperature-detection point(s) along the exhaust line, specific for each engine, the type of installation for the thermocouples, and the thermal characteristics of the interposed materials. After performing some preliminary tests at the dynamometric brake on a compression-ignition engine for agricultural purposes equipped with three thermocouples at different points in the exhaust duct, a novel procedure was developed to: (1) tune a CFD-FVM-model of the exhaust pipe and determine many unknown thermodynamic parameters concerning the engine (including the real EGT at the exhaust valve outlet in some engine operative conditions), (2) use the CFD-FVM results to considerably increase the predictive capability of an indirect torque-detection strategy based on the EGT. The joint use of the CFD-FVM software, Response Surface Method, and specific optimization algorithms was fundamental to these aims and granted the experimenters a full mastery of systems’ non-linearity and a maximum relative error on the torque estimations of 2.9%.

A study on biofuel produced by catalytic cracking of mustard and castor oil using porous Hβ and AlMCM-41 catalysts

Biofuel is the only novel solution to the increase in the greenhouse effect and bursting energy demand. The catalytic cracking of non-edible vegetable oils, namely castor and mustard was studied to yield gasoline range (C5-C9) hydrocarbons. Hβ (Microporous; pore size <2 nm) and AlMCM-41 (Mesoporous; pore size 2 nm-50 nm) materials with different Si/Al ratios were used as catalysts for cracking purposes. Characterization of these catalysts was done by X-ray diffraction, Surface area analyzer, nitrogen sorption studies, TPD and inductively coupled plasma techniques. Used mustard oil was cracked over AlMCM-41 catalysts in a fixed bed catalytic cracking unit at optimized reaction condition (400 °C, 4.6 h^-1) obtained over Hβ. The liquid and gaseous products were analyzed using gas chromatograph (Shimadzu GC-9A). Among the mesoporous catalysts AlMCM-41 (27) was able to convert 75% of mustard oil into 48% of bioliquid and 30.4% selectivity towards BG. Pongamia, neem, castor, fresh coconut and used coconut oil was also cracked using AlMCM-41 (27) catalyst. The major products of cracking reactions were Castor Bioliquid (CBL) comprising of bio gasoline (BG), bio kerosene (BK) and bio diesel (BD) with less yield of gaseous products. AlMCM-41 converted 98% of castor oil into 85% of CBL and it was tested with ASTM 6751 standard procedures for its calorific value, viscosity and flash point. The sulphur emission from CBL run engine reached lower index. The results exhibited the commercial utility of the CBL in the near future.

Energies and Its Worldwide Research

Energy efficiency and management is certainly one of the key drivers of human progress. Thus, the trends in the energy research are a topic of interest for the scientific community. The aim of this study is to highlight global research trends in this field through the analysis of a scientific journal indexed exclusively in the energy and fuels category. For this purpose, a journal has been selected that is in the center of the category considering its impact factor, which is only indexed in this category and of open access, Energies of the publisher MDPI. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis of all the contents of the journal between 2008 and 2020, 13,740 documents published, has been carried out. Analyzing the articles that are linked to each other by their citations, 14 clusters or research topics have been detected: smart grids; climate change–electric energy community; energy storage; bioenergy sources; prediction algorithms applied to power; optimization of the grid link for renewable energy; wind power; sustainability of power systems; hydrocarbon improvements; conversion of thermal/electrical energy; electric motor advancements; marine renewable energy; hydropower and energy storage; and preventive techniques in power transformers. The main keywords found were electric vehicle, renewable energy, microgrid, smart grid, and energy efficiency. In short, energy research remains necessary to meet the future challenge of sustainable energy with high efficiency and the exploration of new renewable resources, all for increasingly sustainable cities.

Characterization of Biomethanol–Biodiesel–Diesel Blends as Alternative Fuel for Marine Applications

The ambitious new International Maritime Organization (IMO) strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships will shape the future path towards the decarbonization of the fleet and will bring further ecological challenges. In order to replace the larger oil-based part of marine fuel with components from renewable sources, it is necessary to develop multi-component blends. In this work, biomethanol and biodiesel with two additives—dodecanol and 2-ethylhexyl nitrate—in 20 blends with marine diesel oil (MDO) were selected as alternative components to replace the pure marine diesel oil-based part of marine fuel. For this purpose, two base blends of diesel and biodiesel with and without additives were produced with biomethanol from 0 to 30% (volume basis). Of all the blends, the blends with 5% (volume basis) methanol had the best property profile in terms of density, kinematic viscosity, calorific value, cloud point, and cetane index according to the ISO 8217:2017 standard (DMB grade) in compliance with the IMO requirements for marine fuels. However, the flash point must be increased. The boiling behavior of the blends was also investigated. A cluster analysis was used to evaluate the similarity between the blends based on their different physical properties.

Technical Aspects of Biofuel Production from Different Sources in Malaysia—A Review

Due to the depletion of fossil fuels, biofuel production from renewable sources has gained interest. Malaysia, as a tropical country with huge resources, has a high potential to produce different types of biofuels from renewable sources. In Malaysia, biofuels can be produced from various sources, such as lignocellulosic biomass, palm oil residues, and municipal wastes. Besides, biofuels are divided into two main categories, called liquid (bioethanol and biodiesel) and gaseous (biohydrogen and biogas). Malaysia agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 45% by 2030 as they signed the Paris agreement in 2016. Therefore, we reviewed the status and potential of Malaysia as one of the main biofuel producers in the world in recent years. The role of government and existing policies have been discussed to analyze the outlook of the biofuel industries in Malaysia.

Effect of Diesel Fuel-Coconut Oil-Butanol Blends on Operational Parameters of Diesel Engine

The global concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is increasing as well as the emissions of harmful pollutants. Utilization of liquid biofuels in combustion engines helps to reduce these negative effects. For diesel engines, the most common alternative fuels are based on vegetable oils. Blending neat vegetable oils with diesel and/or alcohol fuels is a simple way to make them suitable for diesel engines. In this study, coconut oil was used in ternary fuel blends with diesel and butanol. Coconut oil is a potentially usable source of renewable energy, especially in the Pacific, where it is a local product. Diesel fuel-coconut oil-butanol fuel blends were used in concentrations of 70%/20%/10% and 60%/20%/20%, and 100% diesel fuel was used as a reference. The effect of the fuel blends on the production of harmful emissions, engine smoke, performance parameters, fuel consumption and solid particles production was monitored during the measurement. The engine was kept at a constant speed during the measurement and the load was selected at 50%, 75% and 100%. From the results, it can be stated that in comparison with diesel fuel, specific fuel consumption increased with a positive effect on the reduction of engine smoke.

Modeling Viscosity and Density of Ethanol-Diesel-Biodiesel Ternary Blends for Sustainable Environment

Rapid depletion in fossil fuels, inflation in petroleum prices, and rising energy demand have forced towards alternative transport fuels. Among these alternative fuels, diesel-ethanol and diesel-biodiesel blends gain the most attention due to their quality characteristics and environmentally friendly nature. The viscosity and density of these biodiesel blends are slightly higher than diesel, which is a significant barrier to the commercialization of biodiesel. In this study, the density and viscosity of 30 different ternary biodiesel blends was investigated at 15 °С and 40 °С, respectively. Different density and viscosity models were developed and tested on biodiesel blends soured from different feedstock’s including palm, coconut, soybean, mustard, and calophyllum oils. The prognostic ability and precisions of these developed models was assessed statistically using Absolute Percentage Error (APE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The MAPE of 0.045% and 0.085% for density model and 1.85%, 1.41%, 3.48% and 2.27%, 1.85%, 3.50% for viscosity models were obtained on % volume and % mass basis. These developed correlations are useful for ternary biodiesel blends where alcohols are the part of biodiesel blends. The modeled values of densities and viscosities of ternary blends were significantly comparable with the measured densities and viscosities, which are feasible to avoid the harm of vehicles’ operability.

Utilization of Waste Grooved Razor Shell (GRS) as a Catalyst in Biodiesel Production from Refined and Waste Cooking Oils

Biodiesel is a potential alternative for fossil fuel. However, its large-scale application is held up by the disadvantage of a homogenous process, the scarce availability of raw materials and the production cost, which is higher than for fossil diesel. In this work, biodiesel production was carried out using both refined and used cooking oils. The process was investigated in a batch reactor, in the presence of CaO as a heterogeneous catalyst prepared by the calcination of the natural Waste Grooved Razor Shell (GRS). Characterizations by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermal Gravimetric (TG)/Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) showed that the as-received GRS consists of aragonite, (i.e., CaCO3) as the main component and of water and organic matter in a lower amount. After calcination at 900 °C, CaO was formed as the only crystalline phase. The effects of several experimental parameters in the transesterification reactions were studied, and their impact on the produced biodiesel properties was investigated. The studied variables were the methanol/oil molar ratio, the catalyst weight percentage (with respect to the oil mass), the calcination temperature of the parent GRS and the recycling and regeneration of the catalyst. The physico-chemical and fuel properties, i.e., viscosity, density and acid value of used oils and of the produced biodiesel, were determined by conventional methods (American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) methods) and compared with the European standards of biodiesel. The optimal identified conditions were the following: the use of a 15:1 methanol/oil molar ratio and 5 wt% of CaO with respect to the oil mass. After 3 h of reaction at 65 °C, the biodiesel yield was equal to 94% and 99% starting from waste and refined oils, respectively.

Response Surface Methodology Approach for Optimized Biodiesel Production from Waste Chicken Fat Oil

Biodiesel is gaining acceptance as an alternative fuel in a scenario where fossil fuel reserves are being depleted rapidly. Therefore, it is considered as the fuel of the future due to its sustainability, renewable nature and environment friendly attributes. The optimal yield of biodiesel from cheap feed stock oils is a challenge to add cost effectiveness without compromising the fuel quality. In the current experiment, waste chicken fat oil was taken as the feedstock oil to produce biodiesel through the chemical and enzymatic route of transesterification. The process of chemical transesterification was performed using KOH and sodium methoxide, while enzymatic transesterification was done by using free Aspergillus terreus lipase and Aspergillus terreus lipase immobilized on functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4_PDA_Lipase) as biocatalysts. The physico-chemical properties of the understudy feedstock oil were analyzed to check the feasibility as a feedstock for the biodiesel synthesis. The feedstock oil was found suitable for biodiesel production based upon quality assessment. Optimization of various reaction parameters (the temperature and time of reaction, catalyst concentration and methanol-to-oil mole ratio) was performed based on the response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum yield of biodiesel (90.6%) was obtained from waste chicken fat oil by using Fe3O4_PDA_Lipase as an immobilized nano-biocatalyst. Moreover, the above said optimum yield was obtained when transesterification was done using 6% Fe3O4_PDA_Lipase with a methanol-to-oil ratio of 6:1 at 42 °C for 36 h. Biodiesel production was monitored by FTIR spectroscopic analysis, whereas compositional profiling was done by GC–MS. The measured fuel properties—cloud point, pour point, flash point, fire point and kinematic viscosity—met the biodiesel specifications by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Evaluation of Waste Plastic Oil-Biodiesel Blends as Alternative Fuels for Diesel Engines

This study examined the use of waste plastic oil (WPO) combined with biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engines, also commonly known as compression ignition engines, and focused on comparison of the basic physical and chemical properties of fuels, engine performance, combustion characteristics, and exhaust emissions. A preliminary study was conducted to determine the suitable ratio for the fuel blends in consideration of fuel lubricity and viscosity, and these results indicated that 10% biodiesel—derived from either palm oil or castor oil—in waste plastic oil was optimal. In addition, characterization of the basic properties of these fuel blends revealed that they had higher density and specific gravity and a lower flash point than diesel fuel, while the fuel heating value, viscosity, and cetane index were similar. The fuel blends, comprised of waste plastic oil with either 10% palm oil biodiesel (WPOP10) or 10% castor oil biodiesel (WPOC10), were selected for further investigation in engine tests in which diesel fuel and waste plastic oil were also included as baseline fuels. The experimental results of the performance of the engine showed that the combustion of WPO was similar to diesel fuel for all the tested engine loads and the addition of castor oil as compared to palm oil biodiesel caused a delay in the start of the combustion. Both biodiesel blends slightly improved brake thermal efficiency and smoke emissions with respect to diesel fuel. The addition of biodiesel to WPO tended to reduce the levels of hydrocarbon- and oxide-containing nitrogen emissions. One drawback of adding biodiesel to WPO was increased carbon monoxide and smoke. Comparing the two biodiesels used in the study, the presence of castor oil in waste plastic oil showed lower carbon monoxide and smoke emissions without penalty in terms of increased levels of hydrocarbon- and oxide-containing nitrogen emissions when the engine was operated at high load.

Techno-Economic Performance of Different Technological Based Bio-Refineries for Biofuel Production

There are different technologies for biodiesel production, each having its benefits and drawbacks depending on the type of feedstock and catalyst used. In this study, the techno-economic performances of four catalyst technologies were investigated. The catalysts were bulk calcium oxide (CaO), enzyme, nano-calcium oxide, and ionic liquid. The study was mainly based on process simulations designed using Aspen Plus and SuperPro software. The quantity and quality of biodiesel and glycerol, as well as the amount of biodiesel per amount of feedstock, were the parameters to evaluate technical performances. The parameters for economic performances were total investment cost, unit production cost, net present value (NPV), internal return rate (IRR), and return over investment (ROI). Technically, all the studied options provided fuel quality biodiesel and high purity glycerol. However, under the assumed market scenario, the process using bulk CaO catalyst was more economically feasible and tolerable to the change in market values of major inputs and outputs. On the contrary, the enzyme catalyst option was very expensive and economically infeasible for all considered ranges of cost of feedstock and product. The result of this study could be used as a basis to do detail estimates for the practical implementation of the efficient process.

Performance Analysis of a Compression Ignition Engine Using Mixture Biodiesel Palm and Diesel

The present investigation analyzes the performance of a Hatz diesel engine that has 912 cubic centimeters (cc), stationary type, two cylinders, an air cooled feature and B10 (90% diesel and 10% palm biodiesel), using a test bench to improve statistically the repeatability and reproducibility of the runs. The experimental reference tests were carried out under defined conditions at a fixed speed of 1800 revolutions per minute (rpm) and four load levels: 35%, 50%, 65% and 80%. The repeatability analysis was based on the technical standard NTC-ISO / IEC17025. The variables of torque, fuel consumption (FC), air consumption (AC) and exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) showed an increase related with the load increase, showing a lower variation of AC and emissions. With the mechanism’s implementation of attenuator of air blows, adjustment mechanism for rpm and preheating air chamber for intake manifold, it was observed that the rpm presented the lowest statistical variability. The variables that presented the highest Pearson correlation with respect to the FC are the CO2, NOX and O2, this is because the engine does not have the Common Rail system, which causes the fuel supply to not be injected accurately and uniformly, therefore the evaluation of performance of the engine could not be repeatable.

Proposal of a Predictive Mixed Experimental- Numerical Approach for Assessing the Performance of Farm Tractor Engines Fuelled with Diesel- Biodiesel-Bioethanol Blends

The effect of biofuel blends on the engine performance and emissions of agricultural machines can be extremely complex to predict even if the properties and the effects of the pure substances in the blends can be sourced from the literature. Indeed, on the one hand, internal combustion engines (ICEs) have a high intrinsic operational complexity; on the other hand, biofuels show antithetic effects on engine performance and present positive or negative interactions that are difficult to determine a priori. This study applies the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), a numerical method typically applied in other disciplines (e.g., industrial engineering) and for other purposes (e.g., set-up of production machines), to analyse a large set of experimental data regarding the mechanical and environmental performances of an ICE used to power a farm tractor. The aim is twofold: i) to demonstrate the effectiveness of RSM in quantitatively assessing the effects of biofuels on a complex system like an ICE; ii) to supply easy-to-use correlations for the users to predict the effect of biofuel blends on performance and emissions of tractor engines. The methodology showed good prediction capabilities and yielded interesting outcomes. The effects of biofuel blends and physical fuel parameters were adopted to study the engine performance. Among all possible parameters depending on the fuel mixture, the viscosity of a fuel blend demonstrated a high statistical significance on some system responses directly related to the engine mechanical performances. This parameter can constitute an interesting indirect estimator of the mechanical performances of an engine fuelled with such blend, while it showed poor accuracy in predicting the emissions of the ICE (NOx, CO concentration and opacity of the exhaust gases) due to a higher influence of the chemical composition of the fuel blend on these parameters; rather, the blend composition showed a much higher accuracy in the assessment of the mechanical performance of the ICE.

Diesel-Injection Equipment Parts Deterioration after Prolonged Use of Biodiesel

The application of biodiesel blends is known to significantly affect operation of diesel-injection equipment, especially the injectors and fuel pump. This paper summarizes experience on this subject from burning fuel blends with high-percentages of biodiesel (up to 70%) on a common-rail, high-pressure-injection diesel engine and a conventional DI engine. Both engines were unable to start after running for 100 h each and staying shut off for more than two months. In order to understand the wear characteristics of the injector nozzle, pump pistons, and elastomer parts (in the case of the high-pressure pump of the common-rail engine), due to the prolonged operation with high-percentage biodiesel blends, their injectors and pumps parts were examined and compared by performing normal photography and low magnification microscopy. Additionally, the various elastomer parts of the high-pressure fuel pump of the common-rail engine were examined for wear and deterioration. The results are compared with existing literature results from other researchers. The observed deterioration of diesel-injection equipment is caused by use of high-percentage biodiesel blends and subsequent engine shut down.

Experimental Investigation of Performance, Emission and Combustion Characteristics of a Common-Rail Diesel Engine Fuelled with Bioethanol as a Fuel Additive in Coconut Oil Biodiesel Blends

In the present study, the effects of adding of bioethanol as a fuel additive to a coconut biodiesel-diesel fuel blend on engine performance, exhaust emissions, and combustion characteristics were studied in a medium-duty, high-pressure common-rail turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine under different torque conditions. The test fuels used were fossil diesel fuels, B20 (20% biodiesel blend), B20E5 (20% biodiesel + 5% bioethanol blend), and B20E10 (20% biodiesel + 10% bioethanol blend). The experimental results demonstrated that there was an improvement in the brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of the blends at the expense of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) for each bioethanol blend. An increment in nitrogen oxide (NOx) across the entire load range, except at low load conditions, was found with a higher percentage of the bioethanol blend. Also, it was found that simultaneous smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) emission reduction from the baseline levels of petroleum diesel fuel is attainable by utilizing all types of fuel blends. In terms of combustion characteristics, the utilization of bioethanol blended fuels presented a rise in the peak in-cylinder pressure and peak heat release rate (HRR) at a low engine load, especially for the B20E10 blend. Furthermore, the B20E10 showed shorter combustion duration, which reduced by an average of 1.375 °CA compared to the corresponding baseline diesel. This study therefore showed that the B20E10 blend exhibited great improvements in the diesel engine, thus demonstrating that bioethanol is a feasible fuel additive for coconut biodiesel-diesel blends.