Jatropha Biodiesel Research Articles

Stochastic economic and environmental footprints of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas Linnaeus in the different federal states of Nepal

This study presents a set of essential parameters specific to geography, climate, soil conditions, and irrigation, which can be used to classify commercially feasible Jatropha farming land, globally. The results are demonstrated considering Nepal as a representative case and including system-level economic feasibility and environmental sustainability analyses for each of the Federal States of Nepal. Probabilistic results describe a distribution of the minimum selling price and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Jatropha-based biodiesel, respectively, with an average of $1.35/L and 46.51 gCO2e/MJ-biodiesel, and the 95% likelihood to be less than $4.57/L and 127.67 gCO2e/MJ-biodiesel. Considering direct, and then both direct and indirect land use changes increase the GHG emissions relative to the baseline by 3.5 and 8 times, respectively. Jatropha oil yield, biodiesel yield and recovery rates, and Jatropha seed production rates were found to be the most influential factors on the selling price of biodiesel and associated GHG emissions. The results imply that at the Jatropha oil yield of 50 wt%, a Jatropha seed yield of at least 3.9 t/ha and 5 t/ha are required to achieve a market-competitive biodiesel selling price of $1/L, and GHG emissions including direct land use change effects below the petroleum baseline of 87.2 gCO2e/MJ. Avoiding the disturbance of forest lands in favor of Jatropha afforestation is one of the identified strategies to minimize the impacts from land use changes. These methods demonstrate a pathway towards addressing current challenges and developing an environmentally and commercially viable Jatropha-based biodiesel industry in many countries including Nepal.

Characterization of the extracted oil by screw press from Egyptian Jatropha seeds

Increase of fossil fuel consumption rate, depletion of conventional fuel, harmful pollutants increase, and global warming contribute to search about alternative fuels. The produced oil from non-edible jatropha seeds becomes the researcher's interest due to the higher price of edible oils. An efficient system for extracting the oil from Egyptian jatropha seeds has been designed, manufactured and tested. The designed screw press was to get the highest oil yield. Physical and chemical characteristics such as the extracted oil density, kinematic viscosity, flash point, heating value and cetane number were calculated. The extraction time of the oil from jatropha seeds was 30 minutes at a yield of 19%. Due to lower FFA of 2.7%, the extracted jatropha oil provided light color. As the temperature decreased, the density and viscosity of the extracted oil were decreased. The produced oil flash point was greater than crude diesel. The extracted jatropha achieved the calorific value of 39128 kJ/kg. Screw press extraction process increased jatropha biodiesel oxidation instability due to the content of oleic and linoleic acids.

Analysis on a thermal barrier coated (TBC) piston in a single cylinder diesel engine powered by Jatropha biodiesel–diesel blends

The objective of the present work is to enhance the performance of a diesel engine using a thermal barrier coated piston operated with Jatropha biodiesel–diesel blends. For thermal barrier coating, Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is preferred owing to its high heat insulation capabilities in comparison with other insulating materials such as mullite, zirconia, ceramics, magnesium silicate, silicon carbide etc. YSZ is coated via a plasma spray technique at around 200 µm thickness around the piston crown. The test fuel utilized are DF100 (100% diesel fuel), JB20NE (20% Jatropha biodiesel + 80% diesel fuel operated at normal un-coated engine) and JB20CE (20% Jatropha biodiesel + 80% diesel fuel operated at YSZ coated engine). Experimental results revealed that JB20CE has resulted in 10.6% increased brake thermal efficiency and 20.97% lowered brake specific fuel consumption since the YSZ coating acts as a potential insulator in retaining maximum heat inside the combustion chamber, lowering the energy losses followed by improved combustion efficiency, enhanced air–fuel mixture formation and higher performance. Emission wise, JB20CE operation resulted in lowered hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions by about 41.67% and 33.33% due to improved fuel oxidation and effective combustion provided by YSZ insulation.

Experimental investigation of evaporation characteristics of biodiesel-diesel blend droplets with carbon nanotubes and nanoceria as nanoadditives

The evaporation characteristics of biodiesel–diesel blends mixed with different concentrations of nanoadditives, namely, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and ceria nanoparticles (NPs), at ambient temperatures of 673 K and 873 K under normal gravity were researched. The nanoadditives were dispersed in dosages of 50 ppm CNTs + 50 ppm NPs, 100 ppm CNTs + 100 ppm NPs, 250 ppm CNTs + 250 ppm NPs, and 500 ppm CNTs + 500 ppm NPs with 80% diesel blended with 20% jatropha biodiesel (B20D80). The results show that the nanoadditive has dual influence during evaporation processes at 673 K; the nanoadditives accelerate the evaporation rate at concentrations of 50 ppm CNTs + 50 ppm NPs and 100 ppm CNTs + 100 ppm NPs; conversely, they retard the evaporation rate at concentrations of 250 ppm CNTs + 250 ppm NPs and 500 ppm CNTs + 500 ppm NPs. However, the four concentrations of nanoadditives accelerate the evaporation rate at 873 K, whereas the level of evaporation acceleration is different. The CNTs has higher heat transfer efficiency than ceria NPs, whereas CNTs aggregate more easily and prolong the evaporation owing to their long length. Finally, the 100 ppm CNTs and 100 ppm NPs are suitable concentrations for nanoadditive in that it can effectively accelerate droplet evaporation at 873 K and 673 K.

Performance analysis of DEE-Biodiesel blends in diesel engine

ABSTRACT In this study, Di-ethyl ether (DEE) was employed as ignition improver and blended with jatropha biodiesel (JBD) using a research diesel engine to examine its Performance and performance pattern. 10 and 20% of DIE (DEE10JBD90 and DEE20JBD80) were included in biodiesel fuel (JBD). The performance test was carried out for all blends and every blend was subjected to varying engine load. As per the Performance fronts, SFC improved with enhancement in BTE for DEE10JBD90 and DEE20JBD80. It is concluded that the addition of DIE is an effective technique to enhance the Performances of JBD.

Ionic Liquid Antioxidant [X][C6H2(OH)3COO] of Biodiesel and Its Theory Antioxidant Mechanism

ABSTRACT In this study, three ionic liquid antioxidants were synthesized using a one-step method from gallic acid (C6H7O5) and choline, 1-methylimidazole (MI), and 1-ethylimidazole (EI). The antioxidant activity of ionic liquid antioxidants, corrosion, and oil solubility properties of Jatropha biodiesel were also studied. The results show that the three ionic liquid antioxidants improved the oxidation resistance of Jatropha biodiesel. In addition, 3‰ [MI] [C6H2(OH)3COO] increased the induction period of Jatropha biodiesel by 238%. The solubility of three antioxidants decreases in the following order: [MI] [C6H2(OH)3COO] > [EI] [C6H2(OH)3COO] > [Ch] [C6H2(OH)3COO] > C6H7O5. The surface corrosion of copper sheet decreases in the following order: Jatropha Biodiesel > [Ch] [C6H2(OH)3COO] + Jatropha Biodiesel > [EI] [C6H2(OH)3COOC6H5COO] + Jatropha Biodiesel > [MI] [C6H5COO] + Jatropha Biodiesel. The infrared absorption spectra, NBO charge, and frontier orbital of three ionic liquids were calculated using density functional theory, B3LYP/6-311G(d,p). The antioxidant mechanism of three antioxidants was elucidated.

Characterization of the Physicochemical Property of Blend of Butanol and Octanol with Biodiesel

Energy is the major concern around the world not because it is limited availability of petroleum fuel but also due to its environmental effects, greenhouse gas emissions and ozone layer depletion. The compression ignition engine widely used in the agriculture, transportation, electric generation sector which mainly driven by fossil diesel. To counter the cause produce by fossil diesel use and its limited resources, bio-derived fuel may play a major role to fulfill the requirement. But, it has been observed that higher viscosity of biodiesel leads to poor atomization and improper mixing of fuel with air. The poor Combustion, higher viscosity, higher emission of NOx, low break thermal efficiency of biodiesel, the high cost of production are the main impediment in the preferment of the use of bio-diesel. To mitigate the problem of use of biodiesel blending of higher alcohol in biodiesel may offer a potential solution. Hence in this study Jatropha biodiesel has been blended with n-butanol and n-octanol alcohol by volume 10%, 20%, and 30%. i.e. JME90B10, JME80B20, JME70B30, JME90O10, JME80O20, JME70O30 and evaluate the physicochemical properties i.e. Kinematic viscosity, calorific value, cetane index, cold flow property and oxygen stability as per ASTM standard and compare with diesel and biodiesel. However, blends have a higher viscosity than diesel. But this fuel is bio-degradable in nature, help to diminish carbon footprint and has low emission outlines as compared to petroleum diesel. Usage of a combination of bio-fuel will allow a balance to be sought between agriculture, industrialization, transportation and the environment. GC-MS analysis of JME show 29.64% saturated acid and 69.25% of mono unsaturated acid. The properties of biodiesel depend upon the variation of acid percentage. Overall property of blend comparable with fossil diesel it may substitute the diesel.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ASSESSMENT OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM JATROPHA AND WASTE COOKING OIL (WCO)

Biodiesel that is produced from renewable resources has been rising as a promising candidate to replace conventional energy. Vietnam, with a large amount of land used in agriculture or forestry, has advantaged conditions to produce and develop renewable energy from biomass resources. However, developing biodiesel from agricultural product may affect food security significantly. Therefore, Jatropha that is inedible and waste cooking oil (WCO) could be suitable to biodiesel production. One of the most important aims of using biodiesel to replace fossil diesel is to reduce environmental impacts, particularly impact on Climate Change. It is necessary to analyze the environmental performance of biodiesel through the entire life cycle. In this paper, life cycle assessment of biodiesel production and use was applied to measure the environmental performance of biodiesel produced from jatropha oil and WCO under Vietnam conditions. Some main emissions, such as CO2, NOx, PM, CH4, VOC and land use, were computed through a cradle-to-grave analysis. The result shows that when using Jatropha biodiesel to replace diesel, global warming potential (GWP) and photochemical oxidant formation potential (POFP) could be improved, but some other impacts, such as acidification potential (AP) and eutrophication potential (EP), could tend to increase. The environmental impacts of WCO biodiesel are all reduced in comparison with fossil diesel.

Impact of emulsion drops on a solid surface: The effect of viscosity

This paper presents a study of the impact of various water in Jatropha biodiesel emulsion drops on a stainless steel surface. The composition of the emulsion is varied by changing the volume percentage of water. The effect of the change in the composition and the Weber number (We) is reported. With the increase in the percentage of water, the domination of the viscous force is observed to increase. The emulsions having lower percentages of water (less than 20%) are found to be inertia dominated, while the others (equal or greater than 20%) are viscous dominated. The maximum spreading diameter normalized by the preimpact diameter, βmax, decreases with an increase in the percentage of water due to the increased viscous losses. Consequently, the minimum splat thickness factor and the equilibrium splat thickness factors increase with the percentage of water. Higher viscous losses affect the shape of the drop during spreading as well. Emulsification delays the splashing due to the higher viscous losses. No splashing is observed for the emulsions containing 20 or higher percentage of water, since viscosity dominantly affects the impact. To confirm the effect of the viscosity, βmax obtained from the experiments are compared with that obtained from various existing models. Another purpose of the comparison is to check the suitability of the models for the emulsion drop impact. Only one model among all studied is found to compare well because the model assumes that the characteristic length for viscous dissipation is of the order of splat thickness.

Crop water and irrigation requirements of Jatropha curcas L. in semi-arid conditions of Botswana: applying the CROPWAT model

Globally, second-generation biofuels have been promoted as an alternative fuel to fossil fuels. This shift in energy sources was envisaged to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, cut down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and ultimately to relieve national economies from the ever-escalating prices of fossil fuels. Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha) appeared to have great potential as a feedstock for biodiesel production. It attracted interest from governments and private investors in Asia and Africa, including Botswana. Despite the global promotion of Jatropha biodiesel production, there is surprisingly limited information about its water use during the cultivation stage. The aim of this study was to determine the crop water, irrigation requirements and the effects of irrigation scheduling on Jatropha cultivation in Botswana. Climate and soil data from 2014–2016 were obtained from the weather station at the Department of Agricultural Research Station, Sebele, Botswana. Secondary data sources were consulted to obtain data such as crop coefficients, crop duration length, rooting depth, and crop height. The CROPWAT model was then used to estimate the rate of reference evapotranspiration (ETo), evapotranspiration of Jatropha (ETc), irrigation water requirements (IWR) and yield response to irrigation scheduling in Botswana. The results showed that the annual ETo from 2014 to 2016 at the station was 1456 mm. The lowest monthly ETo (50.10 mm) was observed in June and the highest (182.59 mm) was observed in January. The results also indicated that the total Jatropha evapotranspiration rate (ETc) from 2014–2016 was estimated to be 955.4 mm/ growing season and the irrigation requirement was estimated to be 665.4 mm/ growing season with an irrigation efficiency of 70%, indicating that supplementary irrigation is needed. Furthermore, high yield reductions are expected in the late developmental stage if limited water is supplied. The late developmental stage requires more water than other stages. Given the low and highly variable rainfall in Botswana, satisfactory yields for biodiesel production will only be realized if irrigation is done. It is therefore recommended that shifting planting dates to coincide with rainfall should be considered and also allocating water to the most critical crop developmental stages which would help to maximise yield.

Reduction of Metal Ion Content in Jatropha Biodiesel by Ion Exchange

AbstractThis study is focused on the optimization and decreasing the metal ion content in jatropha biodiesel using an ion exchange resin. The changes in the organic composition of jatropha oil biodiesel were measured by GCMS before and after passing the biodiesel over the ion exchange resin. The chelating efficiency of ion exchange resin on metal ions, including potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium, in jatropha biodiesel either treated with different oleic acid content or having different oxidation degrees was evaluated. The results showed that the ion exchange resin can effectively decrease the metal ions content in jatropha biodiesel without producing harmful substances to environment and human body. Moreover, the increase in oleic acid content and oxidation in Jatropha biodiesel affects the ability of ion exchange resins to sequester metal ions.

A review on separation and purification techniques for biodiesel production with special emphasis on Jatropha oil as a feedstock

AbstractBiodiesel is a promising alternative to conventional fuels. Research on biodiesel has vast experimental findings, but the outcomes are not always unidirectional. The sequence of unit operation for various transesterification processes is studied. The review work emphasizes on the separation and purification of Jatropha‐derived biodiesel. The study on the downstream processes of alcohol recovery, glycerol‐rich and biodiesel‐rich phase separation, and biodiesel purification techniques is the main part of this paper. The biodiesel purification includes wet and dry washing and membrane techniques. The purpose of the review is to find separation techniques that are less energy‐intensive and environmentally friendly purification processes for biodiesel production from Jatropha. The strategies to reduce the cost of biodiesel production from Jatropha are discussed. The Jatropha biodiesel possesses huge potential as one of the alternative energy sources for commercial exploitation in India.

Influence of the surface temperature on the spreading and receding dynamics of an impacting biodiesel drop

The paper presents an experimental study of the impact of a Jatropha biodiesel drop on a heated flat stainless steel surface at various temperatures and Weber numbers (We). The effect of the surface temperature (TS) on the spreading and the receding of the drop is explored. Entire impact process is recorded using a high-speed camera and the captured images are processed to obtain the evolution of the drop profile and impact morphology at various surface temperatures. The analysis of the morphology provides physical changes in the drop during impact. The maximum spreading factor, βmax (maximum spreading diameter normalized by pre-impact diameter), increases with both We and TS. The receding is found to be dependent on the surface temperature. The average velocity of the receding increases with TS, because of the decrease in surface free energy at higher temperatures. The decrease is explained from the measurement of the temperature-dependent static contact angles. The non-dimensional time taken to reach βmax increases with TS and this increment is more pronounced at higher We. βmax is found to be highly sensitive to We and shows a sharp rise at higher surface temperatures.

Effect of oxidation of Jatropha curcas-derived biodiesel on its lubricating properties

The oxidation of a Jatropha curcas-derived biodiesel was accelerated through the Rancimat method. High-frequency reciprocating friction, wear testing and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were utilized to analyze the influence of composition changes during the oxidation of Jatropha biodiesel on its lubricating properties. This research indicated that: The polar functional ester group of Jatropha biodiesel could be adsorbed on a metal surface to form a physical adsorption membrane, while its carbon‑carbon double bond would enhance the electrostatic force among the adsorbed membrane molecules, to improve the lubricating properties of Jatropha biodiesel; the oxidation had a significant effect on the lubricating properties of biodiesel. The peroxides generated by the short-time oxidation would stimulate the decomposition of the fatty acid chain, destroying the stability of the lubricative adsorption membrane. The highly polar products and epoxy compounds formed at the later stage of oxidation contributed to the formation of a stable boundary film on the metal surface and enhanced the lubricity of biodiesel.

India’s bioenergy policy

On December 31, 2002, the Shatabdi Express, one of the top trains in India, ran from Amritsar to New Delhi using fuel blended with Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha) seed oil. After this, very ambitious goals were set by India in 2003 to blend 20% Jatropha seed oil and ethanol in diesel and petrol by 2017, respectively, and this was expected to reach 30% by the end of 2020. During the last decade, India has undertaken various programs like Ethanol Blended Petrol Program, National Biodiesel Mission, Biodiesel Blending Program, etc., to promote the use of biofuels. Currently, the blending of ethanol in petrol and biodiesel in diesel is only about 2 and 0.1%, respectively. On June 4, 2018, India has revamped its National Policy on Biofuels, with few modifications in earlier bioenergy policies and almost same target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and 5% biodiesel oil in diesel by 2030. Within 3 months of release of this policy, Jatropha biodiesel has energized Indian aviation to fly its first biofuel-based flight to cover about 126 miles of air distance on August 27, 2018. Here, I am briefly sharing my views about the journey of bioenergy globally and mindset of Indian policy makers regarding potential developments of bioenergy in India.

Performance and Emission Characteristics of Ternary Fuel Blends in Diesel Engines

The unprecedented use of petroleum fuels in recent years has created an imbalance in the supply and demand. Moreover, fast depletion of these fuels, price perturbation and multi-fold increase in greenhouse gas emissions are debatable issues amongst the scientific fraternity. A sustainable solution to the above problems is to shift towards the renewable alternative fuels. In the Indian context, diesel substitute have special relevance. Ethers have some promising properties similar to diesel, out of which Diethyl ethers (DEE) are most promising alternatives. The present investigation deals with the effect of DEE blends on the performance and emission characteristics of unmodified compression ignition (CI) engines. During the present investigation, ternary blends of diethyl ether, jatropha biodiesel (JB) in diesel were prepared in different proportions. The physico-chemical properties and spray characteristics of the test fuels including density, viscosity, calorific value and Sauter mean diameter (SMD) were also calculated. The experimental results reveal that there is no significant effect of the addition of DEE and JB on the brake thermal efficiency. However, the ternary blend carrying 7.5 % of DEE and JB yields the maximum efficiency of 27.9% which is nearly equal to that of peak efficiency of diesel fuel i.e. 28.4%. The exhaust emissions studies reveal that the percentage of CO, HC, NOX and smoke opacity were reduced significantly. Therefore usage of ternary fuel blends of diesel, JB and DEE is a viable approach for the partial replacement of diesel.

HRTEM evaluation of primary soot particles originated in a small-bore biofuel compression-ignition engine

Nanostructure of soot particles from a small-bore compression-ignition engine was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Four test fuels namely conventional diesel, waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel, Jatropha biodiesel, and Karanja biodiesel were studied. Lacey carbon TEM grids were utilized to capture soot particles from engine exhaust gas. An in-house image processing algorithm was developed to measure primary particle diameter, fringe length, fringe tortuosity, and fringe spacing. The HRTEM image revealed the presence of thicker absorbed hydrocarbon layers surrounding biodiesel soot primary particles than those of diesel soot. The primary particle size of WCO biodiesel was smaller than diesel, on the other hand, Jatropha biodiesel and Karanja biodiesel showed slightly larger particles. In terms of nano-structure analysis, WCO biodiesel and Jatropha biodiesel particles exhibited shorter fringe length than diesel, while the Karanja biodiesel particles showed the longest fringe length of 0.91 nm. Fringe tortuosity of biodiesels was smaller than diesel because of relatively lower portion of core area, where highly curved fringes existed. The soot particles from biodiesels exhibited larger fringe spacing than diesel, especially the Karanja biodiesel showed the longest fringe spacing of 0.67 nm compared to 0.55 nm in case of diesel.

FABRICATION OF OIL EXTRACTION MACHINE FROM JATROPHA SEEDS AND BLENDING PROCESS FOR BIODIESEL

Diminishing fossil fuel resources, unstable/increasing prices of oil, environmental issues, global warming/climatic shifts, and allied problems have led the world to focus on alternate, environmental friendly, and renewable energy sources. Among many experimental candidates, production of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas L. has gained significant importance. More than 40 countries in the world are evaluating the potential of using this pure plant oil for manufacturing diesel. Biodiesel is a fuel type that has already been proven suitable for use in diesel engines. The non-edible vegetable oil of Jatropha curcas, which grows in tropical and subtropical climates across the developing world, promises a commercially viable alternative to diesel. Jatropha oil is renewable, environmental friendly and can be easily produced in rural areas. Countries of South-East Asia, such as Malaysia, they are going to start the establishment of Jatropha plantations assuming that Jatropha will be the main resource for biodiesel production. This paper presents the design and fabrication of an efficient Jatropha oil expelling machine. Further carrying out transesterification process on Jatropha oil to get Jatropha biodiesel.

Experimental investigation of an unmodified diesel engine operated with ternary fuel

The present work focuses on improving the emission and performance parameters of diesel–jatropha biodiesel–pentanol blends. Conventional diesel fuel (D80J20: 80% diesel, 20% jatropha biodiesel) and two blends, D70J20P10 (70% diesel, 20% jatropha biodiesel, 10% pentanol) and D60J20P20 (60% diesel, 20% jatropha biodiesel, 20% pentanol), were used in an unmodified diesel engine in order to study the influence of the various fuel blends on the performance characteristics (brake specific fuel consumption, brake power, and torque) and emissions characteristics (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and smoke opacity). The experimental values showed that while pentanol inclusion triggered a small reduction in brake power and torque, the exhaust emission parameters of the engine were improved. It is concluded that with 20% pentanol addition in diesel–jatropha biodiesel blends (D60J20P20), the NOx, CO and smoke emissions were reduced by 27.6%, 41.76% and 32.4%, respectively, owing to oxygenated fuel blends and improvement in combustion efficiency.

English

English