Abstract
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.
Highlights
IntroductionThe demand for and consumption of energy is expected to increase, especially for fossil fuels
The demand for and consumption of energy is expected to increase, especially for fossil fuels.In Thailand, fossil fuels, known as conventional energy, are widely used in various forms of transportation and industrial plants because of their convenience and ability to provide a high heating value
In order to improve the properties of waste plastic oil by combination with biodiesel, such as through increasing the oxygen content in the waste plastic oil for better combustion and to improve the viscosity and lubricity of the waste plastic oil, castor oil methyl ester (COME) and palm oil methyl ester (POME) were blended with waste plastic oil at different volumetric ratios, ranging from 0% to 15%, and the basic physical and chemical properties of the blended fuels were investigated, which mainly focused on fuel lubrication and viscosity
Summary
The demand for and consumption of energy is expected to increase, especially for fossil fuels. In Thailand, fossil fuels, known as conventional energy, are widely used in various forms of transportation and industrial plants because of their convenience and ability to provide a high heating value. Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource which continues to be used by humans, with demand steadily increasing. These fossil fuels will soon be entirely consumed. For this reason, many countries are beginning to rely more on alternative energy or renewable energy sources. Thailand still lacks any significant alternative sources of energy. It produces insufficient energy to meet the demand, resulting in the import of over 49% of its consumed energy in 2017 [1]
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