Does Biodiesel from Jatropha Curcas Represent a Sustainable Alternative Energy Source?

Effect of Zinc Oxide Nano-Additives and Soybean Biodiesel at Varying Loads and Compression Ratios on VCR Diesel Engine Characteristics

The present investigation is directed towards synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and steady blending with soybean biodiesel (SBME25) to improve the fuel properties of SBME25 and enhance the overall characteristics of a variable compression ratio diesel engine. The soybean biodiesel (SBME) was prepared using the transesterification reaction. Numerous characterization tests were carried out to ascertain the shape and size of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The synthesized asymmetric ZnO nanoparticles were dispersed in SBME25 at three dosage levels (25, 50, and 75 ppm) with sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS) surfactant using the ultrasonication process. The quantified physicochemical properties of all the fuels blends were in symmetry with the American society for testing and materials (ASTM) standards. Nanofuel blends demonstrated enhanced fuel properties compared with SBME25. The engine was operated at two different compression ratios (18.5 and 21.5) and a comparison was made, and best fuel blend and compression ratio (CR) were selected. Fuel blend SBME25ZnO50 and compression ratio (CR) of 21.5 illustrated an overall enhancement in engine characteristics. For SBME25ZnO50 and CR 21.5 fuel blend, brake thermal efficiency (BTE) increased by 23.2%, brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were reduced by 26.66%, and hydrocarbon (HC), CO, smoke, and CO2 emissions were reduced by 32.234%, 28.21% 22.55% and 21.66%, respectively; in addition, the heat release rate (HRR) and mean gas temperature (MGT) improved, and ignition delay (ID) was reduced. In contrast, the NOx emissions increased for all the nanofuel blends due to greater supply of oxygen and increase in the temperature of the combustion chamber. At a CR of 18.5, a similar trend was observed, while the values of engine characteristics were lower compared with CR of 21.5. The properties of nanofuel blend SBME25ZnO50 were in symmetry and comparable to the diesel fuel.

Gene expression profiling identifies pathways involved in seed maturation of Jatropha curcas

Background

Jatropha curcas, a tropical shrub, is a promising biofuel crop, which produces seeds with high content of oil and protein. To better understand the maturation process of J. curcas seeds and to improve its agronomic performance, a two-step approach was performed in six different maturation stages of seeds: 1) generation of the entire transcriptome of J. curcas seeds using 454-Roche sequencing of a cDNA library, 2) comparison of transcriptional expression levels using a custom Agilent 8x60K oligonucleotide microarray.

Results

A total of 793,875 high-quality reads were assembled into 19,382 unique full-length contigs, of which 13,507 could be annotated with Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Microarray data analysis identified 9111 probes (out of 57,842 probes), which were differentially expressed between the six maturation stages. The expression results were validated for 75 selected transcripts based on expression levels, predicted function, pathway, and length.

Result from cluster analyses showed that transcripts associated with fatty acid, flavonoid, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were over-represented in the early stages, while those of lipid storage were over-represented in the late stages. Expression analyses of different maturation stages of J. curcas seed showed that most changes in transcript abundance occurred between the two last stages, suggesting that the timing of metabolic pathways during seed maturation in J. curcas occurs in late stages. The co-expression results showed that the hubs (CB5-D, CDR1, TT8, DFR, HVA22) with the highest number of edges, associated with fatty acid and flavonoid biosynthesis, are showing a decrease in their expression during seed maturation. Furthermore, seed development and hormone pathways are significantly well connected.

Conclusion

The obtained results revealed differentially expressed sequences (DESs) regulating important pathways related to seed maturation, which could contribute to the understanding of the complex regulatory network during seed maturation with the focus on lipid, flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. This study provides detailed information on transcriptional changes during J. curcas seed maturation and provides a starting point for a genomic survey of seed quality traits. The results highlighted specific genes and processes relevant to the molecular mechanisms involved in Jatropha seed maturation. These data can also be utilized regarding other Euphorbiaceae species.