Curcas Biodiesel Research Articles

Effect of idling on fuel consumption and emissions of a diesel engine fueled by Jatropha biodiesel blends

An engine running at low load and low rated speed is said to be subject to high idling conditions, a mode which represents one of the major problems currently the transport industry is facing. During this time, the engine can not work at peak operating temperature. This leads to incomplete combustion and emissions level increase due to having fuel residues in the exhaust. Also, idling results in increase in fuel consumption. The purpose of this study is to evaluate fuel consumption and emissions parameters under high idling conditions when diesel blended with Jatropha curcas biodiesel is used to operate a diesel engine. Although biodiesel–diesel blends decrease carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, they increase nitrogen oxides emissions in high idling modes. Compared to pure diesel fuel, fuel consumption also increases under all high idling conditions for biodiesel–diesel blends, with a further increase occurring as blend percentage rises.

What wastelands? A critique of biofuel policy discourse in South India

Mirroring global trends in biofuel policy making, the Government of India recently enacted a policy restricting feedstock cultivation to ‘wastelands’, a government designation for marginal lands. This strategy, the government asserts, will help improve the country’s energy security, mitigate climate change and reduce rural poverty through job creation. As other critical biofuels scholarship has documented, land categorizations like ‘wasteland’ are political constructs homogenously applied to indicate ‘empty’, ‘unproductive’ land ‘available’ for development. While claiming that such constructions mask socio-political relations on the ground, little evidence has been offered analyzing the impacts of these omissions or evaluating how wasteland constructions are sustained. This paper provides such an analysis through a case study of Jatropha curcas biodiesel promotion on wastelands in Tamil Nadu, India. I find that Prosopis juliflora on Tamil Nadu’s wastelands currently supports a dynamic energy economy servicing both rural and urban consumers. The Prosopis economy provides substantially more energy services, jobs and economic development opportunities than would Jatropha biodiesel. Yet political relations amongst stakeholders obscure the Prosopis economy from biofuel policy dialogs. That Prosopis was originally spread throughout India as part of a wasteland development program of the 1970s underscores the deeply political nature of the concept of wasteland. These findings demonstrate that marginal lands, as currently constructed, do not exist. By extension, locating biofuels on such lands is not the ‘win–win’ strategy for simultaneously addressing energy security, climate change and rural poverty that advocates suggest.

Effect of metal contents on oxidation stability of biodiesel/diesel blends

Present paper deals with the evaluation of oxidation stability of metal contaminated biodiesel/diesel blend. Effectiveness of different antioxidants with respect to different biodiesel/diesel blends has also been checked. It is found that pyrogallol (PY) is the most effective antioxidant. As the % of diesel is increased in the blend, the oxidation stability of biodiesel/ diesel blend also increased. From the experiments it is found that B100 required large amount of antioxidant for maintaining the specification followed by B30, B20, B10 and B7 samples with metal contents. Therefore it is possible to attain requisite oxidation stability of metal contaminated biodiesel by blending 70% petro-diesel in Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB). This optimum combination is expected to reduce the cost of biodiesel substantially and require lower quantity of antioxidant.

Evaluation of Additive Effects on Oxidation Stability of Jatropha Curcas Biodiesel Blends with Conventional Diesel Sold at Retail Outlets

This study investigates the effect of antioxidant additives on oxidation stability of neat biodiesel and its diesel blends. Biodiesel was prepared by methanolic KOH catalyzed transesterification of Jatropha curcas oil. Various diesel-biodiesel blends (B10, B15, B20, and B25) were prepared with conventional diesel sold at retail outlets of Northern India. Butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT), pyrogallol (PL), propyl-gallate (PG), tert-butylhydroxyquinone (TBHQ), and diphenylamine (DPA) additives were selected for this study. Significant improvement in oxidation stability as well as in density and kinematic viscosity of diesel–biodiesel blends was obtained with all antioxidants studied. TBHQ, PG, and PL were found to be the most effective among all antioxidants tested, and their use in diesel–biodiesel blends showed a greater stabilizing potential. The properties of the blended fuel were not found consistent during the study. It may be due to composition of biodiesel, nature of a...

Effect of metal contaminants and antioxidants on the storage stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel

The present paper deals with the study on the effect of metal contamination on the storage stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB). Taking Pyrogallol (PY) as the most effective antioxidant based on the earlier work of the authors, JCB was mixed with different transition metals – Fe, Ni, Mn, Co and Cu in different concentrations with and without PY. Induction period (IP) was measured using Rancimat method (EN 14112). Based on the results, several correlations were developed for assessing the storage stability in terms of IP as a function of antioxidant concentration (A), metal concentration (M) and storage time (T). A comparison between the experimental IP values and those predicted by the correlation showed that about 95% of the predicted data points lie within±12% deviation lines of the experimental results. This is the first study of its kind being reported showing the relationship of IP with antioxidant concentration, metal contaminants and storage time. The correlations developed can be used to predict the amount of antioxidants required to stabilize the JCB for predefined time period.

Synthesis of Jatropha Curcas biodiesel and physicochemical investigation of molecular interactions in Jatropha Curcas biodiesel + C2-C3-alkanol blends

The physicochemical properties such as densities and speeds of sound have been measured for Jatropha Curcas biodiesel (1)+ethan-1-ol or propan-1-ol (2) binary mixtures over entire composition range at T=(288.15 to 308.15) K and atmospheric pressure. The measured data have been utilized to determine excess molar volumes V12E, isentropic compressibilities (κS)12, and deviations in isentropic compressibilities (ΔκS)12. The V12E and (ΔκS)12 values were fitted to Redlich–Kister polynomial equation to calculate the adjustable parameters together with their standard deviations. The measured data and derived physical properties have been discussed in terms of the dipole–dipole, dipole induced–dipole interactions, and hydrogen bonding between fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel) and ethan-1-ol or propan-1-ol molecules and their structural factors.

Thermophysical properties of biodiesel and related systems: Low-pressure vapour–liquid equilibrium of methyl/ethyl Jatropha curcas biodiesel

Biodiesel production from non-edible oils has been considered in recent years due to their economic, politics and environmental aspects. Vapour–liquid equilibrium data for the pseudo-binary and pseudo-ternary systems involving fatty acid methyl/ethyl esters from Jatropha curcas oil were determined over the pressure range from (6.7 to 66.7)kPa in an Othmer-type ebulliometer. All systems presented non-ideal behaviour and positive deviations from Raoult’s law. It was observed that the addition of up to 10wt.% of alcohol (methanol or ethanol) promoted a significant decrease in the boiling point temperatures for the evaluated systems. The UNIQUAC model was used to correlate the experimental values, with good agreement between experiment and model results.

Engine performance and emission analysis using oxidatively stabilized Jatropha curcas biodiesel

The aim of the present study is to investigate engine performance and the exhaust emissions of a diesel engine using oxidatively stabilized biodiesel. Biodiesel fuel used in the study was prepared from Jatropha curcas oil. Different samples with various metal contaminants, generally available in the metallurgy of the containers are oxidatively stabilized with antioxidant (PY) according to EN 14112. The brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of biodiesel fuel with and without antioxidant is more than that of petro-diesel fuel. The BSFC of biodiesel fuel with antioxidants is lesser than that of biodiesel fuel without antioxidants, but no specific trends were detected according to the type of metal content and amount of antioxidants. The combustion characteristics and exhaust emissions in diesel engine were not influenced very much by the addition of antioxidants in biodiesel fuel. Also performance and emission characteristics of unstablized biodiesel and stabilized biodiesel (stabilized for 6months) are measured with respect to time.

Optimization of Conversion of High Free Fatty Acid Jatropha curcas Oil to Biodiesel Using Response Surface Methodology

A five-level-four-factor central composite design (CCD) with 54 assays was employed to study the effect of catalyst concentration (NaOH), reaction temperature, reaction time, and methanol/oil molar ratio on the methyl esters yield from Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) during its transesterification. Using response surface methodology (RSM), a quadratic polynomial equation was obtained for Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB) yield by regression analysis. Verification experiments confirmed the validity of the predicted model. The high free fatty acids (FFAs) (14.6%) of JCO could be reduced to 0.34% by acid-catalyzed esterification and a JCB yield of 98.3% was obtained with methanol/oil ratio (11 : 1) using NaOH as catalyst (1% w/w) in 110 min time at 55°C temperature. The predicted value of JCB yield is found to be in good agreement with the experimental value at the optimum level of input parameters. The properties of the biodiesel, thus, produced conform to the ASTM and IS specifications, making it an ideal alternative fuel for diesel engines. The model can be effectively used in oil industry to maximize the biodiesel yield from given oil.

Densities and Speeds of Sound of Jatropha curcas Biodiesel + (C4–C5) Alkan-1-ol Binary Mixtures

Densities (ρmix) and speeds of sound (umix) for binary blends of Jatropha curcas biodiesel (1) + n-butanol or n-pentanol (2) were measured at T = (288.15 to 308.15) K and atmospheric pressure, over the entire composition range, with the help of a density and sound velocity meter (DSA 5000 M, Anton Paar). The density values were used to evaluate the excess molar volumes VmixE. The Redlich–Kister polynomial equation was adopted to compute and correlate the results, and a good agreement has been observed between experimental and calculated values. It has been observed that the ρ and u values of pure components and their binary blends decreased with respect to temperature. Further, results have been analyzed in terms of molecular forces functioning between biodiesel and alcohols.

Oxidation, Thermal, and Storage Stability Studies of Jatropha Curcas Biodiesel

The present work reports the results of the study of the effect of metal contaminants on the oxidation, thermal, and storage stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB) with and without antioxidants. Taking Pyrogallol (PY) as the most effective antioxidant based on the earlier work of the authors, JCB was mixed with different transition metals—Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Cu in different concentrations. Induction period (IP) was measured using Rancimat method (EN 14112). The ASTM D6468 and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods are used for evaluating the thermal behavior of JCB. Based on results, several correlations are developed for assessing the oxidation, thermal, and storage stability. For the purpose of optimization, response surface methodology (RSM) is used. A comparison between the experimental values and those predicted by the correlation shows that all the data points lie within ±10% deviation lines of the experimental results. The optimized concentration of PY for 2 ppm metal-contaminated biodiesel to have an IP of 6 hr is 326.96, 361.64, 386.15, 417.24, and 600 ppm for Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Cu, respectively. From the experiments it is found that if metal concentration is 0, then, 200 ppm of PY is sufficient to make biodiesel stable for 6 months. If metal (Fe) concentration is 2 ppm or more, then 800 ppm PY is sufficient to make biodiesel stable for 5.5 months. This is the first study of its kind being reported in the literature in which RSM is used for design of experiment for developing the correlation for oxidation, thermal, and storage stability. The models developed by RSM will be highly useful for predicting the optimum antioxidant concentration to impart maximum fuel stability in JCB.

Influence of the synthesis process on the properties of flow and oxidative stability of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas biodiesel

The most widely used process for producing biodiesel is the transesterification reaction using alkaline catalysts, due to their high reaction rates and appreciable conversion rates. Low cost catalysts (alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal hydroxides) are often used. In this work, the catalytic activity of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the synthesis of Jatropha curcas ethanol biodiesel was studied. Ethoxide ions, recently prepared (BINaOH) and stored under refrigeration for 12 (B12NaOH) and 24 (B24NaOH) hours were used in transesterification reactions. Each of these reactions was also conducted by means of newly produced ethoxide ions (BINaOH). The yields of each reaction condition were calculated as B12NaOH – 86.7%, B24NaOH – 99.3%, and BINaOH – 82.8%. It can be concluded that the transesterification reaction of J. curcas oil is not only adversely affected by hydroxyl ions (hydrolysis reaction) but also positively affected by ethoxide ions. The properties of flow and oxidative stability of biodiesel samples produced in each of the transesterification reaction conditions were analyzed as well.

Application of thermogravimetric analysis for thermal stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel

The vegetable oil, fats and their biodiesel suffer with the drawback of deterioration of its quality during long term storage unlike petroleum diesel because of large number of environmental and other factors making the fuel stability and quality questionable. There are various types of stabilities such as oxidation, storage and thermal, playing key roles in making the fuel unstable. In the present paper the thermal stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB) as engine fuel was studied. The thermodynamic parameter of activation energy (Ea) of the samples was determined by direct Arrhenius plot. The results show that the thermal degradation of all JCB samples can be treated as a first order reaction. It seems at this stage that the additives under study can offer a significant solution in inhibiting the degradation rate of biodiesel. The pyrogallol (PY) has been found to have more pronounced effect on the onset temperature (Ton) as well as on the Ea followed by propyl galate (PG)>tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ)>butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)>butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). The results may have important applications in the development of JCB as engine fuel.

Synthesis of Jatropha curcas oil-based biodiesel in a pulsed loop reactor

Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) has a high content of free fatty acids and has been used extensively as a feedstock in biodiesel production. In the present study, the transesterification reaction of JCO to Jatropha curcas methyl ester (biodiesel) was performed in a continuous pulsed loop reactor under atmospheric conditions. The JCO was pre-treated prior to the reaction to reduce the free fatty acid content to below 1% (w/w). The operating parameters of the loop reactor were optimised based on the conversion of the JCO to Jatropha curcas biodiesel and included reaction temperature, molar ratio of oil to MeOH, reaction time and oscillation frequency. The findings show that the highest reaction conversion of 99.7% (w/w) was achieved using KOH catalyst and 98.8% conversion was obtained using NaOCH3 catalyst. The optimal operating conditions were a molar ratio of 6:1, an oscillation frequency of 6Hz, temperature of 60°C, feedstock FFA content of 0.5% (w/w) and only 10min of reaction time. As a commercial commodity, the physical properties of biodiesel were analysed, and they compared well with the characteristics of fossil-based diesel fuel.

Oxidation and thermal behavior of Jatropha curcas biodiesel influenced by antioxidants and metal contaminants

According to European biodiesel standard EN-14214 the minimum requirement of oxidation stability in terms of induction period is 6 hr by the Rancimat method (EN-14112). The induction period of fresh Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB) is 3.27 hr. Also the thermal stability of JCB is very poor in terms of activation energy (Ea) and frequency factor (f). The thermal and oxidation behavior is also affected adversely by the container metal. The present paper is dealing with the study of oxidation and thermal behavior of JCB with respect to different metal contents. It was found that influence of metal was detrimental to thermal and oxidation stability. Even small concentrations of metal contaminants showed nearly same influence on oxidation stability as large amounts. Copper (Cu) showed strongest detrimental effect on both, oxidation and thermal stability. Relative effectiveness of different antioxidants were also checked and found that pyrogallol (PY) is the most effective one. The effect of PY is studied in metal contaminated JCB to see the oxidation and thermal stability.

Long term storage stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel

The objective of this work was to study the long term storage stability of JCB ( Jatropha curcas biodiesel). For the objective JCB was mixed with PY (Pyrogallol) and different metal contaminants. JCB samples were stored for 6 months in open air exposed to sunlight. Different properties were checked with respect to time. It was found that stability of fresh JCB was not acceptable as per EN 14214. When PY was mixed with JCB, it stability increased and 200 ppm of PY was sufficient to make fresh and pure JCB stable for almost 6 months. Viscosity (n), PV (peroxide value) and AV (acid value) increased with respect to time. Unsaturated fatty acid composition was also checked with respect to time. From the experiment it was clear that as oxidation deterioration advanced, linoleic and linolenic acid methyl esters decreased and the fraction of oleic acid methyl became relatively high with respect to storage time.

Optimization of long-term storage stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel using antioxidants by means of response surface methodology

The present paper reports the results of the study of the effect of metal contaminants on the storage stability of Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB) with and without antioxidants. Taking 1,2,3 -Trihydroxybenzene/Pyrogallol (PY) as the most effective antioxidant based on the earlier work of the authors, JCB was mixed with different transition metals Fe, Ni, Mn, Co and Cu in different concentrations. Induction period (IP) was measured using Rancimat method (EN 14112) as the stability parameter. Based on results, several correlations were developed for assessing the storage stability in terms of IP as a function of antioxidant, metal concentration and storage time. For the purpose of design of experiment, response surface methodology (RSM) has been used. From the experiments it is found that if metal concentration is 0 then, 200 g m(-3) of PY is sufficient to make biodiesel stable for 6 months. If metal (Fe) concentration is 2 g m(-3) or more, then 800 g m(-3) PY is sufficient to make biodiesel stable for 5.5 months. The value of storage time for Ni, Mn, Co and Cu contaminated JCB is found as 3.62, 3.24, 2.76 and 2.07 months respectively if metal and antioxidants concentration is same in all the cases. The models developed by RSM shall be highly useful for predicting the optimum antioxidant concentration to achieve maximum storage stability of JCB as well as biodiesel from other resources under the conditions set for 3 factors (antioxidant concentration, metal concentration and time). (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oxidation stability of blends of Jatropha biodiesel with diesel

Biodiesel, an ecofriendly and renewable fuel substitute for diesel has been receiving the attention of researchers around the world. Due to heavy import of edible oil, the production of biodiesel from edible oil resources in India is not advisable. Therefore it is necessary to explore non-edible seed oils, like Jatropha curcas ( J. curcas) and Pongamia for biodiesel production. The oxidation stability of biodiesel from J. curcas oil (JCO) is very poor and therefore an idea is given to increase the oxidation stability of biodiesel by blending it with petro-diesel. J. curcas biodiesel (JCB), when blended with petro diesel leads to a composition having efficient and improved oxidation stability. The results have shown that blending of JCB with diesel with less than 20% (v/v) would not need any antioxidants but at the same time, need large storage space. Similarly, if the amount of diesel is decreased in the blend, it will require the addition of antioxidant but in lesser amount compared to pure JCB. For the purpose five antioxidants were used namely butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), propyl gallate (PG), and pyrogallol (PY). A B 30 blend (30% JCB in the blend of JCB and petro-diesel) has been tested for the same purpose. PY is found to be the best antioxidant among all five antioxidants used. The optimum amount of antioxidant (PY) for pure biodiesel tested for the present experiment is around 100 ppm while it is around 50 ppm for B 30 blend to maintain the international specification of oxidation stability.

Physicochemical Properties of Jatropha Curcas Biodiesel + Diesel Fuel No. 2 Binary Mixture atT= (288.15 to 308.15) K and Atmospheric Pressure

Environmental issues, the growing demand for energy, political concerns, increasing crude oil prices and the medium-term depletion of petroleum created the need for the development of vegetable oils as alternative fuels. Vegetable oil-based fuels (bio fuels) are promising alternative fuels for diesel engines because of their environmental and strategic advantages. To design equipment for biofuel production and an optimizing process for biodiesel production, their thermophysical properties must be known. In this work, the Jatropha curcas biodiesel was prepared, and thermophysical properties, densities (ρ12), and speed of sound (u12) for J. curcas biodiesel (1) + diesel fuel no. 2 (2) binary mixtures were measured as functions of composition at temperatures ranging from T = (288.15 to 308.15) K and atmospheric pressure. The observed data have been utilized to evaluate the excess molar volume, V12E, of this binary mixture. This binary mixture (blend) exhibits a temperature-dependent behavior, and densities d...

Correlation Development for the Effect of Metal Contaminants on the Thermal Stability of Jatropha curcas Biodiesel

The present paper deals with the study of the effect of metal contaminants on the thermal of Jatropha curcas biodisel (JSB). Talking pyrogallol(PY) as the most effective antioxidant based on the earlier work of the authors, JCB was mixed with different transtion metals, Fe, Ni, Mn, Co, and Cu, in different concentrations. Thermal stability parameters such as insoluble formation (Ins) and activation energy (Ea), were measured using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6468 and stability in terms of Ins and Ea as a function of the antioxidant and metal concentrations A comparison between the experimental Ins and Ea values and those predicted by the correlation shows that about 95% of the predicted data points lie within +/- 10% deviation lines of the experimental results. This is the first study of its kind being reported showing the relationship of thermal stability with antioxidant concentration and metal contaminants. The correlations developed can be used to predict the amount of antioxidants required to stablize the JCB.