Combined Effect of a Catalytic Reduction Device with Waste Frying Oil-Based Biodiesel on NOx Emissions of Diesel Engines

Abstract

Internal combustion engines with application in automobiles and other relevant industries constitute significant environmental pollution via the release of toxic exhaust gasses like carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), particulate matter (PM), and nitrogen oxide (NOx). Engine researchers and manufacturers are challenged to develop external and internal measures to ensure environmentally friendly solutions to accommodate and conform to the growing list of emission standards. Therefore, this work presents an experimental investigation of the NOx emission profile of a diesel engine that is fuelled and fitted with waste frying oil-based biodiesel and catalytic converter. Using a single-cylinder, four-stroke air-cooled CI engine at a constant speed of 1900 rpm and different loadings of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%; fitted with a catalytic converter at the exhaust outlet of the engine and linked to a dynamometer and a gas analyser, an experiment was conducted at biodiesel/diesel volume blends of B0 (0/10), B5 (5/95), B20 (20/80), B30 (30/70), B70 (70/30), B100 (100/0); and 30% concentration (v/v), 0.5 litre/hr flow rate of aqueous urea from the catalytic converter. The results show an increasing NOx emission as the biodiesel component increased in the blend. The catalytic converter showed a downward NOx reduction with a significant 68% reduction in efficiency at high exhaust gas temperatures. It is concluded that the combined utilisation of waste frying oil-based biodiesel and the catalytic converter yields substantial NOx emission reduction.