Emissions and performance of a diesel engine affected by soybean, linseed, and crambe biodiesel

Abstract

In Brazil, rural communities apart from large centers, distant from energy transmission and distribution grids, need electric energy, and this situation renders it difficult to ensure local economic progress. One alternative to solve the problem is energy generation using vegetal-oil-based fuels, made of local raw materials that are renewable and have a lower impact on the environment. The objective of the present work was to assess the performance and emissions of a diesel engine for energy generation that operated with soybean, linseed, and crambe vegetal-oil-based fuels. The fuels were tested in a 5-kVA generator engine at a load from 750 W to 3000 W. Biofuels were obtained from a mixture of conventional diesel oil with soybean, linseed, and crambe oil at incremental levels of 10%, 30%, 50%, and 70% of vegetal oil in the fuel mixture composition. The increase in soybean oil proportion at low load (750 W) resulted in lower specific consumption. At a high load (3000 W), there was a reduction in specific consumption when compared to conventional diesel fuels. Crambe biodiesel resulted in a reduction in emissions of CO, CO2, and NOx as function of the increase in crambe oil in the proportion. The results of these studies indicate that conventional diesel blends with low (10%) and medium (30%) concentrations of soybean, linseed, and crambe vegetal oil are viable technical solutions for the partial substitution of conventional diesel.