Exhaust Emission Reduction in a Single Cylinder Compression Ignition Engine Fuelled With Optimized Biodiesel Blends of Eucalyptus tereticornis

摘要

Inadequate resources, diminution in petroleum reserves, environmental pollution hazards and escalated crude oil pricing have become major points of concern for energy use. This urged the researchers to identify an alternative source of fuel energy similar to petroleum hydrocarbons to be used in internal combustion engine. In the present study, biodiesel from leaves of Eucalyptus tereticornis was used in the processed form in compression ignition engine. The steam distillation process yielded 4.8% of Eucalyptus bio-oil through a batch process. Single stage transesterification process using methanol and sodium hydroxide produced Eucalyptus biodiesel effectively at molar ratio of 8:1. The physicochemical properties of Eucalyptus biodiesel were found to be comparable to commercial diesel and within ASTM limits. Eucalyptus biodiesel in straight and blended form at ratio of 50:50 with commercial diesel was used in a single cylinder compression ignition engine to understand its emission characteristics. Lower unburnt hydrocarbon and smoke emission was observed when D50EBD50 fuel blend was used at part and full load condition. EBD100 fuel emitted higher CO2 across all loads. Oxides of nitrogen emission were found to be relatively higher at full load condition when compared with D100 and D50EBD50 fuel blends. The emission parameters of EBD100 and D50EBD50 were found to be comparable with mineral diesel.