Coconut Biodiesel Research Articles

The Impact of Incorporating EGR Rates and Coconut Biodiesel on Morphological Characteristics of Particulate Matter in a Compression Ignition Diesel Engine

The Impact of Incorporating EGR Rates and Coconut Biodiesel on Morphological Characteristics of Particulate Matter in a Compression Ignition Diesel Engine

Performance, evaluation and gas emission of diesel and distilled biodiesel blends in IC engine

The greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels are a global issue. Nowadays, biodiesel has been shown to be a good alternative to substitute totally or partially diesel to minimize GHG emissions formed during the combustion of diesel fuel in engines. This research investigates the usability of distilled biodiesel–diesel blends in a diesel engine. The distilled biodiesel was produced from soybean and coconut oil, and each fraction’s composition was characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer. The soybean biodiesel light fraction was shown to be rich in compounds with up to 17 carbons, while the coconut biodiesel light fraction contained compounds with up to 13 carbons. All blends evaluated were within the density range of commercial diesel (0.82 to 0.85 g.cm−3). The consumption and emissions experiments were performed on a 1-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engine at various loads to evaluate the influence of distilled biodiesel from soybean and coconut oil. For all blends, adding distilled biodiesel, both from soybean and coconut oil, increased the brake thermal efficiency up to 56.08% and reduced the specific fuel consumption up to 18.33% compared to diesel fuel. In addition, all distilled biodiesel–diesel blends reduced carbon monoxide emissions by up to 30%.

Optimization and synthesis process of biodiesel production from coconut oil using central composite rotatable design of response surface methodology

In the transportation and power production industries, the use of renewable and environmentally friendly fuels has grown in importance. Biodiesel derived from coconut oil contains over 90% saturated fatty acids. Biodiesel was made using alkaline transesterification since coconut oil has a free fatty acid content of less than 2.5%. Enzymatic or chemical transesterification are both possible. For the synthesis of coconut biodiesel, the optimal processing conditions are 60 °C for 1 h, a 6:1 ratio, 1% potassium hydroxide and a 95% yield. According to the experiment, 55 °C was the ideal reaction temperature for using coconut oil to produce biodiesel. Sixty minutes was the ideal amount of time to extract biodiesel from coconut oil. The methanol-to-oil molar ratio raised yield from 6:1 to 8:1, a 95% increase. Significant amounts of an alkaline catalyst, which allows soap to develop under the influence of fatty acids, are responsible for the high yield response; it is concluded that 1 wt% would be an appropriate catalyst concentration for the present investigation. The central composite rotatable design (CCRD) of the response surface methodology method is used to optimize several process parameters, including temperature, reaction duration, methanol-to-oil ratio and catalyst concentration. The CCRD optimization approach produced better results. The following are the final, optimized results: coconut oil methyl ester ratio: 96.69%, temperature: 55 °C; duration: 59.2 min; catalyst concentration: 0.7; molar ratio: 6.4.

Effect of graphene dispersed coconut biodiesel on the Micro ED milling characteristics of Inconel 718 alloy

Micro Electrical discharge milling is a familiar micromachining process for machining of complex microstructures using a cylindrical tool. In this research work, the influence of process parameters namely capacitance, voltage, threshold on response indicators during machining of Inconel 718 with coconut biodiesel and graphene nano powder dispersed coconut biodiesel is investigated in detail. Further, surface-topography of the machined surface was critically examined using scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional non-contact roughness tester. Graphene nano powder concentration (0.3 g l−1) increased the MRR around 68% compared to coconut biodiesel (BD). A medium order of capacitance (10 nF) offered a maximum MRR irrespective of dielectric used. With higher order capacitance, the minimum TWR is obtained due to longer pulse off duration. High surface finish is achieved with graphene nano powder dispersed coconut BD due to uniformly distributed of craters on the machined surface. Recast layer thickness is 3.08 μm, 1.62 μm and 2.34 μm with coconut biodiesel, 0.3 g l−1 and 0.6 g l−1 graphene particles mixed coconut biodiesel, respectively. Minimum recast layer is observed with graphene particles mixed coconut biodiesel under considered parametric conditions due to lesser eroded particle deposition. EDS results confirm that the sedimentation of graphene nano powder (increase in carbon %) on work surface results in increase in hardness. Crater size, voids and cracks were reduced with graphene nano powder dispersed coconut BD due to uniform distribution of heat energy over machining region. Results showed that the graphene nano powder mixed coconut biodiesel can be the substitute for mineral oil.

Experimental investigations into engine characteristics fuelled with hibiscus coconut biodiesel and its blends

Experimental investigations into engine characteristics fuelled with hibiscus coconut biodiesel and its blends

Production and quality characterization of biodiesel produced from green coconut Pulp

Brazil is one of the largest producers and consumers of green coconut in the world, with thousands of units harvested and destined for retail, wholesale and mainly for the bottling industries and fresh consumption in the beach regions, as its water basically represents the greatest source of interest. According to consumers, coconuts, after being consumed in water, are mostly destined for dumps and sanitary landfills that accumulate material annually, with a very voluminous shell and a decomposition time of up to 10 years. Note the possibility of obtaining oil and biodiesel from the pulp, thus being able to obtain a low cost oil for the production of biodiesel. The project in question seeks to carry out characterization tests of the density and specific mass and oxidation time of the Biodiesel obtained from the residual oil. The extraction of oil from the coconut pulp was performed using hexane from the Soxhlet extractor. Thus, it was verified that the percentages of extractive yield between 35 and 37% in oil mass, the results of acidity 0.37 mg KOH/g, density 0.887 kg/dm3 and specific mass 75.78%, meeting the ANP parameters for oils, coconut oil was later used for the synthesis of biodiesel from transesterification with a basic catalyst (KOH), at 45ºC, the time of oxidative stability of biodiesel was measured in a rancimeter, obtaining a time of 6h, being considered average, necessary the addition of stabilizers, while the dry coconut biodiesel exceeded the maximum analysis time of 12 hours, being even more stable.

Low-temperature oxidation studies on canola and coconut-derived biodiesel in a motored engine

This work reports results on the low-temperature oxidation of canola and coconut-derived biodiesel in a motored engine. A lean premixed fuel–air mixture of equivalence ratio 0.25 at an intake temperature of 125 °C was subject to reaction with pure compression. The extent of the reaction was controlled by changing the compression ratio in the range of 5.5–9.0. In-cylinder pressure measurements were used for heat release analysis, and detailed speciation analysis of the reaction products was done using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system. The canola-derived biodiesel shows minor low-temperature heat release, while coconut biodiesel exhibits a relatively higher heat release. It was found that the low-temperature oxidation chemistry for these biodiesels is similar to saturated single-component methyl esters. However, the heat release was somewhat suppressed due to unsaturated compounds in the two biodiesel fuels. The heat release suppression correlates well with the extent of unsaturation. The oxidation end products under the test conditions were similar for both fuels. The relatively higher reactivity of the coconut over the canola biodiesel was also seen in the speciation results, and its stable intermediate concentrations were much higher than the canola. The experimental results were compared to computations using an existing kinetic model. The onset of heat release was predicted with reasonable accuracy. However, the peak and accumulated heat release were significantly overpredicted.

RETRACTED: Biodiesel unsaturation and the synergic effects of hydrogen sharing rate on the characteristics of a compression ignition engine in dual-fuel mode

In this study, a comparison of the behavioural characteristics of CI engine operated under single-fuel mode with biodiesel and dual-fuel mode enriched with hydrogen was conducted. The influence of unsaturation degree on the engine behaviour has been assessed and compared between Grapeseed biodiesel (GSBD) and Wheat Germ biodiesel (WGBD) with Coconut biodiesel (CBD) since CBD has a very low level of unsaturation compared to the other two fuels in the single-fuel mode. In addition, this work also investigates the impact of unsaturation on the H2 induction, performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a CI engine in dual-fuel operation. The obtained results showed that with the increasing degree of unsaturation, H2 induction decreases, with CBD tolerating Hydrogen Energy Share (HES) of 13.8 % without knocking, followed by 13.5 % and 12.5 % for GSBD and WGBD, respectively. Comparing the industrial biomass residues alone in dual fuel mode for maximum HES, GSBD-H2 exhibited superior characteristics with 34 % brake thermal efficiency, 0.22 g/kWh of hydrocarbon, 2.3 g/kWh of carbon monoxide and 35.4 % of smoke opacity as against 32.5 %, 0.31 g/kWh, 3.5 g/kWh and 40.3 % for WGBD, respectively. However, the nitric oxide emissions were slightly higher for GSBD compared to WGBD in both single-fuel and dual-fuel modes.

Biodiesel Exhaust Toxicity with and without Diethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether Fuel Additive in Primary Airway Epithelial Cells Grown at the Air-Liquid Interface.

Biodiesel usage is increasing steadily worldwide as the push for renewable fuel sources increases. The increased oxygen content in biodiesel fuel is believed to cause decreased particulate matter (PM) and increased nitrous oxides within its exhaust. The addition of fuel additives to further increase the oxygen content may contribute to even further benefits in exhaust composition. The aim of this study was to assess the toxicity of 10% (v/v) diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DGDME) added as a biodiesel fuel additive. Primary human airway epithelial cells were grown at the air-liquid interface and exposed to diluted exhaust from an engine running on either grapeseed, bran, or coconut biodiesel or the same three biodiesels with 10% (v/v) DGDME added to them; mineral diesel and air were used as controls. Exhaust properties, culture permeability, epithelial cell damage, and IL-6 and IL-8 release were measured postexposure. The fuel additive DGDME caused a decrease in PM and nitrous oxide concentrations. However, exhaust exposure with DGDME also caused decreased permeability, increased epithelial cell damage, and increased release of IL-6 and IL-8 (p < 0.05). Despite the fuel additive having beneficial effects on the exhaust properties of the biodiesel, it was found to be more toxic.

Optimization of engine out responses with different biodiesel fuel blends for energy transition

A dynamometer test was commonly used to find the optimum biodiesel blend ratio. Nonetheless, it has a significant disadvantage which was due to the high time consuming and financial commitment required to undertake this procedure. Only a few studies have used grey-Taguchi method (GTM) to optimize coconut oil-diesel fuel blends utilizing various parameters such as speed, load, and blend ratio. This study aims to find the optimum biodiesel blend ratio and other engine input parameters under different specified constraints using the GTM. A four-cylinder CI diesel engine was fuelled with different blends of coconut biodiesel and tested at various load and speed conditions. The Taguchi-Grey technique was used to carry out the optimization. The Taguchi approach with L16 orthogonal array was utilized to design the experiment, and the LTB and STB were employed to optimize 13 performance indices. In order to determine the optimal parameters, grey relational grade and S/N ratio were used. An ANOVA-based analysis was used to investigate the relationship between the three engine inputs and their responses. The optimization result shows that 30% blend ratio, 3850 rpm engine speed, and 25% engine load were the optimum results for the performance, emissions, and combustion of the CI engine. With the optimum condition, it improves the SOI-Main, turbocharges boost air pressure, O2, CO, and smoke by 6.18, 0.44, 1.15, 12.9 and 14.97 %, respectively, as compared to conventional diesel fuel. However, BSFC, BSEC, exhaust gas temperature, main injection duration, rail pressure, load demand, and NOx showed slightly degradation, 2.44, 0.84, 0.05, 0.81, 0.12, 1.64 and 11.93%, respectively. It was observed that the Taguchi-Grey approach has demonstrated to be highly effective in determining important parameters for multi-response variables.

Coconut oil and fermented palm wine biodiesel production for oil spill cleanup: experimental, numerical, and hybrid metaheuristic modeling approaches.

This paper for the first time synthesizes novel biodiesel experimentally using low-cost feedstocks of coconut oil, caustic soda, and fermented palm wine contaminated by microorganisms. The alkaline catalyzed transesterification method was used for biodiesel production with minimal glycerol. The produced biodiesel was biodegradable and effective in cleaning a shoreline oil spill experiment verified by our developed oil spill radial numerical simulator. For the first time, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was hybridized with invasive weed optimization (IWO), imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA), and shuffled complex evolution (SCE-UA) to predict biodiesel yield (BY) using obtained Monte Carlo simulation datasets from the biodiesel experimental seed data. The test results indicated ANFIS-IWO (MSE = 0.0628) as the best model and also when compared to the benchmarked ANFIS genetic algorithm (MSE = 0.0639). Additionally, ANFIS-IWO (RMSE = 0.54705) was tested on another coconut biodiesel data in the literature and it outperformed both response surface methodology (RMSE = 0.72739) and artificial neural network (RMSE = 0.68615) models used. The hybridized models proved to be robust for biodiesel yield modeling in addition to the produced biodiesel serving as an environmentally acceptable and cost-effective alternative for shoreline bioremediation.

Enviromental Pattern Analysis of Biodiesel (Castor, Coconut, MGB) to Support Alternative Energy using CFD approach

The Ship uses the MTU 16V956 TB 92 propulsion engine with a piston-type Mexican Hat combustion chamber. In general, the crown is used on machines with large torque. Besides that, the crown shape in the combustion chamber is also very influential on the formation of a mixture of fuel and air before the combustion process occurs. So it is necessary to know about the spray pattern of biodiesel fuel of enviromental things (castor, coconut, used cooking oil/MGB) in the Mexican Hat combustion chamber. In this study, using the Mexican Hat-shaped piston crown simulation method, the first step was to test the spray pattern of the three types of biodiesel (castor, coconut, used cooking oil) by simulating a tube with an injection pressure of 350 bar gauge pressure inside a barometric pressure tube. While the completion in the Mexican Hat combustion chamber with a chamber pressure of 35 bar gauge and injection pressure of 350 bar gauge was completed with the CFD program, Fluent 6.2, and the results of the three biodiesels were compared. From the CFD simulation results obtained spray patterns of the three types of biodiesel (castor, coconut, used cooking oil). At the same injection pressure and chamber pressure, used cooking biodiesel has the longest penetration length, followed by castor biodiesel and coconut biodiesel. The spray angle of coconut biodiesel is the largest, followed by castor biodiesel and used cooking oil biodiesel. SMD coconut biodiesel is the smallest, followed by castor biodiesel and used cooking oil biodiesel.

Mixture Temperature-Controlled combustion of different biodiesels and conventional fuels

Mixture Temperature-Controlled combustion is a novel concept featuring ultra-low pollutant emission. Since the resulting distributed combustion is highly homogeneous, NOX emission can be kept below 10 ppm. The available renewable fuels worldwide vary a lot in their characteristics. Three renewable hydrocarbon fuels: coconut oil, palm oil, and waste cooking oil-rapeseed oil methyl esters were tested along with three conventional fuels: standard jet fuel (JP-8), standard diesel oil, and natural gas. The ultimate goal of the present study was the comparison of the flame structures, chemiluminescent, and pollutant emissions of various fuels, exploiting distributed combustion offered by the novel burner concept. As mixture preparation is highly sensitive to fuel vaporization, distillation curves of the five investigated liquid fuels were measured and evaluated. Density, surface tension, and viscosity were also measured to compare the estimated atomization characteristics. The tests were uniformly performed at 13.3 kW thermal power and an equivalence ratio of 0.8, varying atomizing pressure and air preheating temperature. It was found that jet fuel, diesel fuel, and coconut biodiesel bear the highest potential for distributed combustion in gas turbines, while incorrect burner setup may lead to unacceptably high emissions.

Performance of Coconut Biodiesel Fueled Diesel Engine with Exhaust Gas Emission Analysis

Biodiesel fuel is biodegradable, Sulphur free, non-toxic and environmentally friendly. Current research focuses on coconut biodiesel production using crude coconut oil. Both one and two step transesterification methods were utilized to analyze the effect of free fatty acid on the transesterification process while the two-step transesterification reported highest yield biodiesel percentage of 84% compared to the one step i.e. 72%. The fuel properties found compatible with standards. The biodiesel blends fueled diesel engine performance tests were performed on diesel engine Water-cooled, four stroke, single cylinder, Direct Injection System (Kubota - RK95-1-NB-RDK). The biofuel blend with 10% of coconut biodiesel and 90% Petro-diesel shown the highest brake horsepower of 8.809KW, engine power of 1.685KW and mechanical efficiency of 15.24%. While in exhaust gas emission analysis, the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide decrease with the increasing biodiesel blend whereas the nitrogen oxides increased.

Synthesis of biodiesel from coconut oil and characterization of its blends

In this study, biodiesel was produced from coconut oil via homogeneous basic catalysis using sodium hydroxide as a catalyst, and its characteristics and applicability were analyzed. The following physicochemical properties of coconut oil and biodiesel were determined: density, kinematic viscosity, refractive index, acidity index, saponification index, iodine index, cetane number, and higher calorific value. The following cold flow properties of coconut biodiesel were also identified: pour point, cloud point, and cold filter plugging point. Finally, the influence of the biodiesel content on the density, kinematic viscosity, and heating value of biodiesel blends was evaluated and predicted by a regression model.

Emission Characteristics of Diesel Engines Fuelled with Blended Biodiesels

The present work investigates the engine emissions characteristics for direct injection diesel engine using coconut biodiesel, soya bean methyl ester and fish oil blends without any engine modifications. The coconut oil has three fuel samples, such as DF (100% diesel fuel), CB5 (5% coconut biodiesel and 95% DF), and CB15 (15% CB and 85% DF) respectively are used. Lower HC and CO, and higher CO2 and NOx emissions have been found for biodiesel blended fuels in comparison with the different blends of a soybean methyl ester (SME) with diesel fuel. There are two samples of SME oils such as B20 SME and B100 SME are used. The measured CO emissions of B20% SME and B100% SME were found to be 11.36% and 41.7% lower than that of diesel fuel. The various blends of fish-oil biodiesel with diesel, B25, B50, B75, B100 were used in the experiment. At full load, B100 fuel produced higher smoke, NOx, CO and HC emissions of 34.95%, 1.65%, 14.6%, and 1.8% respectively with reference to diesel fuel.

A study on improving tire pyrolysis oil quality by blending it with biodiesels derived from edible oils

Owing to the poor physio-chemical properties of tire pyrolysis oil, its application in diesel engines is limited. It is highly viscous, denser than diesel and has lesser calorific value. Its quality can be improved by blending it with any fuel that is less viscous. In this study, tire pyrolysis oil is blended with eight different biodiesels, derived from edible oils, to improve its quality and the effect of dilution on its properties is studied. Apparently, not all the biodiesels are good to be blended with it. Coconut and soy biodiesel bring in desirable and appreciable variations in its properties. But, the percentage change in viscosity is far greater in coconut-tire oil blends than soy-tire oil blends. It is concluded that the coconut biodiesel is the ideal biodiesel to be blended with tire oil to improve its quality acceptably, among all the chosen biodiesels produced from edible oils.

Production of biodiesel by enzymatic transesterification of non-edible Salvadora persica (Pilu) oil and crude coconut oil in a solvent-free system

BackgroundIt is becoming imperative to develop renewable fuels such as biodiesel which are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Exploiting non-edible oils is more necessary to reduce dependency of edible oils for biodiesel production. The current study investigated biodiesel production from non-edible Salvadora persica seed oil (SPSO) and crude coconut oil (CCO) by Burkholderia cepacia lipase acting as a biocatalyst in a solvent-free system. The biodiesel yield produced from these feedstocks was compared and the effect of ethanol (acyl acceptor) vs. SPSO and CCO in various ratios on biodiesel production was determined.ResultsThe presence of medium-chain fatty acids in majority was confirmed for SPSO and CCO while the average molecular weight was calculated as 749.53 g/mol and 664.57 g/mol, respectively. Thin Layer Chromatography indicated ethyl esters in the produced Salvadora and coconut biodiesel samples. Maximum biodiesel yield (around 70%) was obtained at 1:4 oil-to-ethanol molar ratio from both oils followed by a decline at higher ratios. The gas chromatographic analysis of Salvadora biodiesel at 1:4 molar ratio showed that the yield of individual esters was mostly of medium- and long-chain fatty acids. The analysis of coconut biodiesel at 1:4 molar ratio revealed that it consists mainly of the esters of medium-chain fatty acids. A comparison of estimated properties of biodiesel from both the parent oils with the international standard showed that it meets most of the requirements.ConclusionThe study paves the way for a green route for biodiesel production and would promote the use of non-edible vegetable oils over edible ones to produce biodiesel. Further, it is a right step to use lipases in biodiesel production as compared to chemical catalysts. Ethanol, which can also be produced from biomass fermentation, can be used as acyl acceptor to produce biodiesel and this makes the process eco-friendly. Moreover, Burkholderia cepacia lipase is a good choice among lipases to get high biodiesel yields successfully from SPSO and CCO at low oil-to-ethanol molar ratios.

The impact of chemical composition of oxygenated fuels on morphology and nanostructure of soot particles

Over the years, oxygenated fuels such as biodiesel and alcohol fuels have been useful in reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions of diesel engines. The presence of oxygen in the fuel impacts the soot oxidation process and thus the morphology and nanostructural characteristics of soot particles change. The nanostructure characteristics of soot particles hold an importance for their oxidation reactivity and toxicity. Higher reactivity and exposure of soot particles to oxygen will affect the regeneration and filtration efficiency of diesel particulate filters. In this study, we investigate the impact of oxygen functional groups on morphology and nanostructure of soot particles by blending different types of essential oil in diesel. The test fuels were prepared by mixing orange oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and coconut biodiesel to keep an overall oxygen content of 0 and 2.2%. Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the physical changes in the nanostructure of soot particles. The primary particle diameter decreases, and fractal dimension of soot aggregates increases for oxygenated fuels. Microscopy reveals that the arrangement of carbon lamellae within the soot particles changes significantly with use of oxygenated as observed by the changes in fringe length, fringe tortuosity and fringe separation distance. Lower fringe length, higher fringe tortuosity and fringe separation distance shows disordered arrangement of carbon layers with more possibility of oxygen attack. The different structural characteristics for oils having same oxygen content shows that formation and structure of soot particles strongly depend upon chemical structure and composition of the fuel.

Comparison of light absorption and oxidative potential of biodiesel/diesel and chemicals/diesel blends soot particles

Soot particles, mainly coming from fuel combustion, affect climate forcing through absorbing light and also result in adverse human health outcomes. Though biodiesel or additives blending with diesel was considered environmentally friendly, the understanding on absorbing and oxidative capacity of soot emitted from them are still unclear. The water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) content, surface chemical structure, light absorption and oxidative potential (OPDTT) of soot from biodiesel/diesel and chemicals/diesel blends were investigated utilizing total organic carbon analyzer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry and dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. The differences and correlations between soot properties were statistically analyzed. Chemicals/diesel blends soot owned significantly higher WSOC content, ratio of mass absorbing efficiency (MAE) in 250 and 365 nm (E2/E3), OPDTT, and higher surface carbonyl content. Coconut biodiesel/diesel blends soot contained evidently higher aromatic carbon–oxygen single bond (Ar_C–O) content, and higher MAE365. The individual comparison of biodiesel/diesel blends showed 20% coconut biodiesel blend owned the lowest WSOC, E2/E3 and OPDTT, while highest Ar_C–O and MAE365, representing strongest absorbing properties. Association analysis showed OPDTT was significantly positively correlated with WSOC. Further, the evident negative correlation between MAE365 and OPDTT was observed. Our results showed coconut biodiesel/diesel blends soot induced lower levels of oxidative potential, whereas absorption of light was higher, which have far reaching consequences on climate forcing. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the balance point between light-absorbing properties and oxidative potential, under the wide use of biodiesel.