A new alternative paraffinic–palmbiodiesel fuel for reducing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines

Abstract

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDEs) fuelled with paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends have been rarely addressed in the literature. A high-resolution gas chromatograph/high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRGC/HRMS) was used to analyze 17 PCDD/F species. Experimental results indicate that the main species of PCDD/Fs were OCDD (octachlorinated debenzo-p-dioxin) and OCDF (octachlorodibenzofuran), and they accounted for 40–50% of the total PCDD/Fs for all test fuels. Paraffinic–palmbiodiesel blends decreased PCDD/Fs by 86.1–88.9%, toxic PCDD/Fs by 91.9–93.0%, THC (total hydrocarbons) by 13.6–23.3%, CO (carbon monoxide) by 27.2–28.3%, and PM (particulate matter) by 21.3–34.2%. Using biodiesel blends, particularly BP9505 or BP8020, instead of premium diesel fuel (PDF) significantly reduced emissions of both PCDD/Fs and traditional pollutants. Using BP9505 (95 vol% paraffinic fuel + 5 vol% palmbiodiesel) and BP8020 instead of PDF can decrease PCDD/F emissions by 5.93 and 5.99 g I-TEQ year −1 in Taiwan, respectively.