Oil Biofuel Research Articles

Impact of yttria stabilized zirconia coating on diesel engine performance and emission characteristics fuelled by lemon grass oil biofuel

The aim of present work is to improve the efficiency and reduce the harmful exhaust emissions from diesel engines. Neat lemongrass oil was selected as a biofuel, and its physical and chemical properties based on ASTM standards were investigated. The combustion unit was coated with yttria-stabilized zirconia as a ceramic layering material. The initiative behind the thermal barrier coating was to acquire reduced heat losses by ceramic layering the combustion unit with the substance having reduced thermal conductivity, so as to aid in the transformation of accrued heat transformation into constructive work. Conventional diesel fuel was taken as a baseline fuel and investigated in the uncoated engine. Then, the coated combustion unit was installed in the engine and investigated with diesel. Subsequently, lemongrass biofuel was used as operating energy in both coated and normal conditions. Ceramic-layered conditions exhibited high engine efficiency with reduced fuel utilization. The result showed that the coated engine exhibited reduced emissions like smoke, HC and CO with the exception of NOx compared to normal engine. This variation was observed owing to trapping of energy inside the combustion unit and low level of energy transferred to the combustion chamber walls.

Synergistic Effect of Pine Oil and Eucalyptus Oil on the Performance of a Compression Ignition Engine

ABSTRACT Many biofuels extracted from the trees can be directly used as a fuel without any major treatment processes. Among these biofuels the pine and eucalyptus oil have low viscosity and other properties similar to fossil diesel. In the present experimental study the feasibility of using the combination of both the fuels as a blend in diesel is investigated. The viscosity, boiling point and flash point of both the pine and eucalyptus oil were observed to be lower than conventional diesel. Also, the calorific values of these oil biofuels are comparable to diesel. In the present study, various blends of pine and eucalyptus oil viz., P10E10D80, P15E15D70, P5E5D90, P50E50, P20D80, and E20D80 blends were tested in a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection diesel engine for the combustion, emissions and performance characteristics. The results show that at full load condition, the blend of P10E10D80 oil reduces EGT (exhaust gas temperature), HC (hydrocarbon). CO (carbon monoxide) and smoke emissions by 17%, 14.7%, 13%, 20.14%, respectively. The brake thermal efficiency and maximum heat release rate increase by 5.2% and 13%, respectively. However, the NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emission is higher 8.79% than that of diesel fuel at full load condition. The experimental work reveals that the blend of P10E10D80 possesses significantly improved fuel characteristics and can be directly used in diesel engine. Abbreviations: D100: Diesel 100% (Neat oil); P20+D80: Pine20 % +Diesel 80%; P10+E10+ D80: Pine10 %+ Eucalyptus10%+ Diesel 80%; P15+E15 +D70: Pine15 %+ Eucalyptus15%+Diesel 70%; P5+E5 +D90: Pine5%+ Eucalyptus5% +Diesel 90%; P50+EU50: Pine50 %+ Eucalyptus 50%; EU20+D80: Eucalyptus20%+ Diesel 80%; BTE: Brake thermal efficiency; BSEC: Brake specific energy consumption; HC: Hydrocarbon; CO: Carbon monoxide; NOx: Oxide of nitrogen; HRR: heat release rate; ID: Ignition delay; 0C/A: Degree crank angle; BMEP: Brake mean effective pressure; TDC: Top dead centre ; GC-MS: gas chromatography mass spectrometry; Surface tension: mN/m; Calorific value : (MJ/Kg); Flash point: Degree centigrade; density: Kg/m3; Kinematic viscosity: mm2/s; M.F: Molecular formula

Physicochemical characteristics and fuel performance of (Castor-Linseed biofuel)-petroleum fuel mixture

In this study, the physicochemical characteristics and fuel performance of castor-linseed biofuel were studied in different mixing ratio by petroleum fuel. Firstly, the properties of the mixed castor oil biofuel-linseed oil biofuel were investigated including: density, specific gravity, viscosity, boiling point, pour point, cloud point, flash point, fire and smoke points. The change in the studied properties by gradual addition of the prepared biofuel to petroleum fuel was investigated and correlated to several factors. The study showed the ability of mixing castor-linseed mixed biofuel and petroleum fuel up to 30% (biofuel) with the stability of the required properties of the final fuel to be in accordance with the ASTM fuel specifications.

Effect of exhaust gas recirculation in the performance and emission characteristics of an oxygenated mustard oil biodiesel in a compression ignition engine

ABSTRACT Increase in the unrefined petroleum cost and the spike in interest for raw petroleum in the non-oil creating nations compel them to look for an elective wellspring of fuel to utilize. It has been discovered that the Biodiesel acquired from vegetable oils mixed with diesel can work in the compression ignition engine with no change up to certain volumetric structures. Mustard oil obtained from the plants of Brassica juncea was used to produce biodiesel by trans-esterification strategy. The readied mustard oil biofuel was mixed with diesel in the proportion of 5%, 10%, and 15% and included with Al2O3 nanoparticles as an added substance. The readied tests were tried at a consistent speed Compression Ignition Engine at different loads and compared for emission with that of diesel. It has been found from the outcomes that the carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), and smoke exhaust diminished and the nitrogen oxides (NOX) outflows expanded with an expansion in the mix. The oxygen content in the mix is the explanation behind the improvement of the ignition procedure and the decrease of the HC, CO, and smoke exhaust. Further a 12% decrease in the NOX emission was achieved with the assistance of the 10% of exhaust gas recirculation.

Experimental investigation of Lawsonia inermis L. biofuel as fuel in a diesel engine

The tremendous growth of the world towards technology has more usage of the automotive. These leads the need for fuel to cater those huge requirements in transportation. Also, the extinction of the mineral based fuels has led the path into biofuel. The biofuel is obtained from organic compounds like vegetable oils, animal fats, oils from waste. In this work biofuel from oils of Lawsonia inermis L. blended in various proportions with pure diesel to find the engine operating features of the single cylinder pure diesel engine. The mixtures of Lawsonia inermis L. oil biofuel and pure diesel were prepared in the 10%, 20% and 30% by volume as B10, B20 and B30. The BTE (Brake thermal efficiency) and the BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) of the mixtures were higher when related to pure diesel at full engine load. The EGT (exhaust gas temperature) of B30 was 3.67% more than the pure diesel at full engine load. The other mixtures B10 and B20 showed similar exhaust gas temperature as that of neat pure diesel. The NOx emission was higher by around 2.86% for B30 blend in contrast with pure diesel at 100% engine load. The emission of CO and HC were lower than pure diesel at different loads of engine.

Investigation the Stability of Water in Oil Biofuel Emulsions Using Sunflower Oil

Targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 75% and NOx emissions by 90% by 2050 in aviation have been set by The Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe. Sustainable fuels, e.g., emulsified biofuel, have demonstrated promise in reducing emissions and greenhouse gases. The aim of this project is to investigate the stability of a water in oil emulsion using sunflower oil. The primary objective is to achieve an emulsion which is stable for at least 4 days, and the secondary objective is to investigate how altering the emulsification parameter values of the surfactant hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), energy density and sonotrode depth in an ultrasonication procedure can impact the stability. The stability of each emulsion was measured over a period of 14 days. The main outcome is that two of the 14 emulsions made remained stable for at least 14 days using a surfactant HLB of five, which proved to be the optimum value from those tested. The results also show that, by using the sonotrode in a higher starting position, emulsions achieved a greater stability. Furthermore, over-processing of the emulsion was determined, with the point of over-processing lying between an energy density of 75 and 200 W.s/mL.

Toward Political Explanation of Change in Corporate Responsibility: Political Scholarship on CSR and the Case of Palm Oil Biofuels

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been recently conceptualized and studied as a political phenomenon. Most debates in this scholarship have thus far focused on normative issues. Less attention has been paid to the explanatory potential of CSR research grounded in political theory and philosophy. In this article, we conduct a pragmatist reading of political scholarship on CSR and seek to deploy existing knowledge for research pursuing political explanation. We argue that the political ontologies that underlie scholarship on CSR can be used to transform normative and descriptive research also for explanatory uses. We show how ontologies vary in terms of potential research objects and scopes of political explanation, and argue that the main types of political-ontological stances adopted in scholarship on CSR, foundational and post-foundational stances, offer explanatory analysis of different schematic guidelines. Our pragmatist reading of previous research and an empirical case illustration of political explanation of change in corporate responsibility in the biofuel industry demonstrate the opportunities, limitations, and challenges different political-ontological commitments provide for political explanation.

Metabolic Engineering a Model Oilseed Camelina sativa for the Sustainable Production of High-Value Designed Oils

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz is an important Brassicaceae oil crop with a number of excellent agronomic traits including low water and fertilizer input, strong adaptation and resistance. Furthermore, its short life cycle and easy genetic transformation, combined with available data of genome and other “-omics” have enabled camelina as a model oil plant to study lipid metabolism regulation and genetic improvement. Particularly, camelina is capable of rapid metabolic engineering to synthesize and accumulate high levels of unusual fatty acids and modified oils in seeds, which are more stable and environmentally friendly. Such engineered camelina oils have been increasingly used as the super resource for edible oil, health-promoting food and medicine, biofuel oil and high-valued chemical production. In this review, we mainly highlight the latest advance in metabolic engineering towards the predictive manipulation of metabolism for commercial production of desirable bio-based products using camelina as an ideal platform. Moreover, we deeply analysis camelina seed metabolic engineering strategy and its promising achievements by describing the metabolic assembly of biosynthesis pathways for acetyl glycerides, hydroxylated fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids, ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, palmitoleic acid (ω-7) and other high-value oils. Future prospects are discussed, with a focus on the cutting-edge techniques in camelina such as genome editing application, fine directed manipulation of metabolism and future outlook for camelina industry development.

Physical and chemical characterization of sewage sludge with different proportions of diatomaceous earth

ABSTRACT The use of residues for agricultural production is an alternative for the achievement of sustainability. When mixed with diatomaceous earth (DE) from biofuel filtration, sewage sludge (SS) plays an important role as soil conditioning agent. As a result, the objective of this work was to make a DE vermicompost at different proportions: 0; 7.53; 15.06; 22.59 and 30.12% v/v in relation to a SS pre-compost (PC) and gardening pruning residues. The experiment was carried out in 100-L containers in a randomized block design, with 5 treatments and 5 replications, in which Eisenia foetida earthworms were used in the pre-composting and vermicomposting processes. After four months, the physical characteristics of the vermicompost were analyzed. It was verified that the diatomaceous earth can be vermicomposted, even when soaked in biofuel oil, at amounts of up to 30.12% v/v, with no visible physical damage to earthworms and plants, and this proportion of DE reduced the concentration of nutrients, but improved the physical properties of the vermicompost, making it an excellent physical conditioner for use as a substrate of plants and fertilization of soils.

Performance of Vachellia Nilotica Seed Oil BioFuel with Different Nozzles

This present study reports about the Acacia nilotica (karuvel) seed oil from which biodiesel for experimenting is produced. The greatest advantage of Karuvel oil is free from the content of fatty acid and so esterification of free fatty acid was done which was then undergone a transesterification process and from which the production of biodiesel was done. The catalyst like Sulphuric acid along with KOH was used as a catalyst and made available for the transesterification process. The gas chromatography and also the physiochemical properties is characterized for the biodiesel which is produced. Unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters are been found in a high value in the Karuvel biodiesel. A detailed report has been given on the Catalyst concentration and reaction time for completing the transesterification process.

A review: Importance of chlorella and different applications

Chlorella is eukaryotic microorganisms belongs to green microalgae that has been receiving interests in commercial and scientific field as well. It also has a high photosynthetic capability and can grow harshly under heterotrophic and mixotrophic conditions. Chlorella is a potential source for protein and nowadays is used as human food and animal feed. Chlorella is also containing large amount of carbohydrates, oil and perfect feedstock for biofuels. Using Chlorella to produce biofuel is still under developing. Chlorella allow us to decrease amount of CO2 efficiently and to remove nutrients of phosphorus and nitrogen, making it a better candidate for greenhouse gas biomodulation and wastewater bioremediation. Current studies on Chlorella shows that It has a potential as an expression host for recombinant protein production, which can alter the current used one, though challenges remain to be addressed, performing omics analyses on certain Chlorella strains, which may help to uncover the biological implications of Chlorella and facilitate the future exploration of industrial application.

Effect of the temperature of waste cooking oil methyl esters on the value of nitrogen oxides emission from the self-ignition engine

Combustion of diesel oil and liquid biofuels in self-ignition engines is related to the emission of harmful gases to the atmosphere (i.e. nitrogen, carbon or sulfur oxides). These compounds, emitted in significant quantities, pose a threat to human life and health, as well as to the natural environment. The goal of our research was to investigate the influence of temperature of the waste cooking oil methyl ester on the nitrogen oxides emission in the self-ignition engine. This is to help determine if the use of biofuel thermal activation can be used to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions. Experiments carried out on the test bench in relation to harmful nitrogen compounds (NOx). The emission of exhaust gases from a diesel engine fed with methyl esters of the cooking oil was measured. The measurements were made in accordance with ISO 8178-4. From the obtained test results it can be concluded that it is worth equipping the engine with installation for preheating the fuel before its injection, but the optimal value of fuel temperature reducing emissions is at least 70°C.

Influence of coherent light on seed quality of Camelina sativa L.

Camelina sativa L. is an underutilized Brassicaceae oilseed plant with a considerable agronomic potential for biofuel and vegetable oil production in temperate zones. Unlike most Brassicaceae, Camelina sativa L. is resistant to Alternaria black and many other diseases and pests. Camellia is a hardy plant; this allows it to grow in different soil and climate conditions. In addition, the crop does not require much use of pesticides. It is characterized by frost-resistance and relatively high growth rates at low temperatures, precocity and the ability to tolerate soil or air drought. The research investigates effect of coherent light on the seed quality of Camelina sativa L. It reveals that treating the seeds with coherent light for 60 and 120 seconds leads to an increase in their sowing qualities, plant productivity and changes of the seed quality.

Performance and exhaust emissions of a CI engine using Bi2O3 nano blends as an alternate Caulerpa racemosa algae oil biofuel

World at giving is stood around the twin problems of fossil oil product intake and normal degradation. The purpose of this research is actually to examine the behaviour of C. racemosa algae oil biodiesel within a diesel engine. Biodiesel is an unparalleled earth-friendly source meant to extend the worth to fossil fuels, and also the durability and cleanliness of diesel-powered engines. C. racemosa algae may be used to make biodiesel, only because of high oil content. The transesterification of the oil produces biodiesel. The abundant benefits of biodiesel tend to get over by few disadvantages like the increase in the nitrogen oxide, its incompatibility at cold temperature conditions, and also the regular periods of engine parts replacement. Generally, there is additional scope for the improvement in fuel properties and also to overcome the disadvantages by the addition of nanoparticles as fuel additives. In the current study, the Bi2O3 nano additives inside algae oil-based methyl ester blend as well as its diesel blends are examined the performance and emission characteristics at various loads.

The Challenge of Indonesian Diplomacy Against Palm Oil Discrimination

ABSTRACTIndonesia will continue to face a discrimination of palm commodity in European Union in the next decade. The challenge the European black campaign against palm oil is not easy to overcome. Most of European people have a bad perception about palm oil. The issue of palm oil is not only about the forestation, but also it is influenced by bad perception on health and social impact. It is a time for Indonesian diplomacy to make a strategy to resolve this issue by improving public diplomacy through lobbying, corporate diplomacy and identification of stakeholders. Although in the European Parliament statement does not mention the elimination of palm oil, discrimination against palm oil will continue in the trilogy. Palm oil must face accusations from various interested parties such as NGOs and members of parliament who have relations with farmers in Europe. They have a strategy to phase out using palm oil for biofuels. The issue of palm oil is not only about a battle of the vegetable industry anymore, but it is more about politics to defend other vegetable oil in the market by disseminating any kind issues related to oil palm plantation. It must be deal with the total diplomacy taken by all stakeholders in Indonesia and in Europe. Key words: oil palm, public diplomacy, biofuels, European Parliament

Comparative analysis of premixed combustion and blending of alcohols with neem and wintergreen oil biofuel blends in CI engine

High-viscous neat neem oil (NO) with low-viscous wintergreen oil (WGO) may be used in diesel engines without any engine modification. Based on the previous experimental results, equal-volume blending of NO and WGO was prepared based on the optimum performance. The main aim of this experimental research is to improve the performance of NO–WGO blend using lower- and higher-order alcohol in terms of performance, emission and combustion parameters of the engine. All the experiments were conducted in a single-cylinder CI engine producing 5.2 kW power at a constant speed of 1500 rpm at variable loads. This research aims to compare the outcome of injection and blending of alcohol with NO and WGO blend at various load conditions. Alcohols, namely methanol, ethanol, hexanol and octanol, were identified and were injected in the inlet manifold along with intake air and also blended with the test fuels volumetrically. Based on the previous experimental results conducted with various injection rates of all the alcohols with NO50–WGO50, the optimum injection rate of each alcohol was identified on a mass basis based on the engine performance. Methanol, ethanol, hexanol and octanol blend and injection ratio was fixed at 30%, 30%, 20% and 10% on a mass basis. According to engine combustion, performance and emissions results, the injection of hexanol and octanol had the result of improving brake thermal efficiency, brake specific energy consumption and exhaust gas temperatures compared to other blends. The maximum pressure and heat release rate for all the hexanol and octanol alcohol injection blends were higher at higher loads. The HC, CO and smoke emissions were lower with Hex20 and Oct10 with NO50–WGO50 blends injection. The decrease in emissions is a result of homogeneous mixture formation within preinjected alcohols as well as air and lower volume of base fuel injected within the mixture. Finally, the NOx emissions increased with alcohol injection in comparison with blending with tested fuels.

Emission reduction in CI engine using biofuel reformulation strategies through nano additives for atmospheric air quality improvement

The main objective of this research work is to investigate the effect of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and cerium oxide nano-additives in lemon and orange peel oil biofuel blends in compression ignition engine. Eight different blends are prepared using lemon and orange peel oil in 20% volume ratio with diesel in which nanoparticles are added at two concentrations (50 and 100 ppm). The study revealed that brake thermal efficiency of carbon nanoparticle and cerium oxide addition with biofuels is marginally lower then diesel fuel. Furthermore, brake specific energy consumption for biofuel samples with and without nanoparticles are substantially lower than diesel fuel and in particular, the 50 ppm cerium oxide with lemon peel oil blend has resulted in 16.4% reduction in brake specific energy consumption. The Carbon nanotubes and cerium oxide in orange oil exhibit higher heat release rate high in-cylinder pressure than other fuel respectively. Moreover, the cerium oxide in orange oil at 50 ppm concentration has resulted in 53.8% reduction in carbon monoxide emission and similar kind of reduction is also observed in hydrocarbon emission as well. On the other hand, the nanoparticles addition with lemon peel and orange peel at all concentrations has shown only marginal reduction in NOx emission.

Research on the Combustion, Energy and Emission Parameters of Various Concentration Blends of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil Biofuel and Diesel Fuel in a Compression-Ignition Engine

This article presents our research results on the physical-chemical and direct injection diesel engine performance parameters when fueled by pure diesel fuel and retail hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). This fuel is called NexBTL by NESTE, and this renewable fuel blends with a diesel fuel known as Pro Diesel. A wide range of pure diesel fuel and NexBTL100 blends have been tested and analyzed: pure diesel fuel, pure NexBTL, NexBTL10, NexBTL20, NexBTL30, NexBTL40, NexBTL50, NexBTL70 and NexBTL85. The energy, pollution and in-cylinder parameters were analyzed under medium engine speed (n = 2000 and n = 2500 rpm) and brake torque load regimes (30–120 Nm). AVL BOOST software was used to analyze the heat release characteristics. The analysis of brake specific fuel consumption showed controversial results due to the lower density of NexBTL. The mass fuel consumption decreased by up to 4%, and the volumetric consumption increased by up to approximately 6%. At the same time, the brake thermal efficiency mainly increased by approximately 0.5–1.4%. CO, CO2, NOx, HC and SM were analyzed, and the change in CO was negligible when increasing NexBTL in the fuel blend. Higher SM reduction was achieved while increasing the percentage of NexBTL in the blends.

Simultaneous reduction of NOx and smoke emissions with low viscous biofuel in low heat rejection engine using selective catalytic reduction technique

The present work offered a comprehensive investigation on engine characteristics of single cylinder Direct Injection (DI) diesel engine fuelled with Lemon oil (LO) biofuel. LO was obtained from the peels of lemon using steam distillation process. The physio-chemical properties of LO were analysed based ASTM biodiesel standard and compared with diesel. The chemical composition of LO was observed with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). In-order to enhance the properties of LO, a cetane enhancer namely Pyrogallol (PY) was added. The engine combustion chamber components namely piston head, cylinder head and intake and exhaust valves were thermally coated with Partially Stabilized Zirconia (PSZ) which converted the conventional engine into low heat rejection engine. In the PSZ coated engine, enhanced performance and combustion characteristics were observed with LO and PY blend. Declined carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) and smoke emissions were observed with LO and PY blend in coated engine. Further, the work was extended with the application of Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and Catalytic Converter (CC) as post treatment system for the reduction of NOx emission. With post treatment, LO and pyrogallol in PSZ coated engine showed lower NOx emission than diesel and LO. Consequently, LO and pyrogallol in PSZ coated engine with post treatment was considered as more advantageous than other fuel samples on account of its performance, combustion and emission characteristics.

Influence of injection timing and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rate on lemon peel oil-fuelled CI engine.

In the current phase of world economy, the utilization of the petroleum-based fossil fuels has drastically surpassed the supply. This scenario supplements to the fact that there is an ever increasing necessity for industrialization, specifically in the transportation sector. This requirement and supply of the petroleum and diesel fuels have an astounding impact over the market economy and related commodities. Low viscous and low cetane number biofuels are getting more attention for their usage in engine applications without any further processing. In the present work, lemon peel oil is being fuelled in diesel engine at different timing of injection and exhaust gas recirculation rates. Operation of lemon peel oil (LPO) at standard operating conditions results in increased brake thermal efficiency by consuming less fuel when compared with diesel fuel. The LPO biofuel properties such as boiling point and viscosity being lower leads to better evaporation capacity and thereby results in complete combustion. The advancement in injection timing of 25° bTDC and 27° bTDC resulted in the efficiency increment of 2.17% and 6.19% respectively. Furthermore, the smoke, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions are decreased in consequence on increased nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Hence, in order to decrease the content of nitrogen oxide emissions in the exhaust, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) has been implemented in the present work. For EGR rate of 10% and 20%, the NOx emissions is reduced by 43% and 46% respectively for 27° bTDC injection timing. Thus, the advancement of injection timing with optimum EGR is a viable option for the lemon peel oil biofuel in diesel engine with superior performance and emission output.