Comparing Green Biodiesel from New Sources for Cleaner and Efficient Engines

Greg Howard
4th June, 2024

Comparing Green Biodiesel from New Sources for Cleaner and Efficient Engines

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Key Findings

  • The study by PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing tested biodiesel blends from peppermint, water hyacinth, tamarind, and snake gourd
  • These biodiesel blends (MP20, PC20, TC20, TI20) showed increased fuel consumption but slightly lower engine efficiency
  • Emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide were significantly reduced with these biodiesel blends
The pursuit of sustainable energy solutions has led to extensive research on biodiesel as a viable alternative to conventional diesel. A recent study conducted by the PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing[1] explores novel biodiesel blends derived from unconventional resources such as mentha piperita (peppermint), pontederia crassipes (water hyacinth), tamarindus indica (tamarind), and trichosanthes cucumerina (snake gourd). These blends, designated as MP20, PC20, TC20, and TI20, consist of 80% biodiesel and 20% diesel. The study assesses the performance and emissions of these biodiesel blends in a four-stroke, one-cylinder diesel engine under various loading conditions. The research aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of engine parameters, including brake-specific energy consumption (BSEC), brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), thermal efficiency (BTE), cylinder pressure (CP), heat release rate (HRR), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The engine was operated at 1500 rpm with a 17.5 compression ratio and fuel was injected at 220 bar pressure into the combustion chamber 23° before top dead center (TDC). The results indicate that at full engine load, the biodiesel blends exhibit an increase in BSFC (2.8-12.6%) and BSEC (1.1-7.1%) but show a minor decrease in CP (0.9-6.9%), HRR (0.8-16.2%), and BTE (1.2-2.9%). Notably, the emissions of PM (8.9-21.4%), NOx (1.4-16.2%), and CO2 (2.4-7.9%) are significantly reduced. These findings emphasize the potential of biodiesel blends to enhance engine performance while substantially decreasing harmful emissions, thus supporting the goal of sustainable energy solutions. Comparing these findings with previous studies reveals interesting parallels and advancements. For instance, a study on biodiesel derived from Guizotia abyssinica (L.) oil[2] showed that the addition of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions, although it did result in a slight increase in CO2 emissions. Similarly, the current study found that biodiesel blends significantly reduce CO2 emissions, which is a crucial improvement. Another study on parsley seed oil biodiesel[3] demonstrated that the B20 blend (20% biodiesel, 80% diesel) reduced emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, although there was an increase in NOx emissions. The current study corroborates these findings by showing a significant reduction in NOx emissions for the biodiesel blends, highlighting the effectiveness of the novel biodiesel resources used. In terms of engine performance, the study on ethanol-biodiesel blends[4] found that a 50E50B blend (50% ethanol, 50% biodiesel) achieved the highest brake thermal efficiency, while diesel had the lowest brake thermal efficiency among the blends tested. The current study also reports a decrease in brake thermal efficiency for the biodiesel blends, but the reduction is relatively minor (1.2-2.9%), suggesting that these novel biodiesel blends can still offer competitive performance compared to conventional diesel. The methods used in the current study involve extensive engine testing under various loading conditions, providing a robust dataset for analysis. The use of a single-cylinder diesel engine with controlled injection parameters ensures that the results are reliable and can be effectively compared with previous studies. In conclusion, the research conducted by the PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design, and Manufacturing demonstrates that biodiesel blends derived from unconventional resources such as peppermint, water hyacinth, tamarind, and snake gourd can enhance engine performance and significantly reduce emissions. These findings build on previous studies[2][3][4] and highlight the potential of biodiesel as a sustainable alternative to conventional diesel, contributing to the global effort to reduce pollution and promote renewable energy sources.

EnvironmentSustainabilityBiotech

References

Main Study

1) Comparative thermal assessment and emission analysis of various green biodiesel from novel feedstocks for CI engines: a sustainable approach towards emission reduction.

Published 3rd June, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33817-6

Related Studies

2) Exergy-energy, sustainability, and emissions assessment of Guizotia abyssinica (L.) fuel blends with metallic nano additives.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53963-8

3) Performance and emission analysis of a CI engine fueled with parsley biodiesel-diesel blend.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40243-022-00213-4

4) Performance analysis of biofuel-ethanol blends in diesel engine and its validation with computational fluid dynamics.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27086-y


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