Pollution Research Paper

EXPERIMENTATION STUDIES OF MICROALGAE BIODIESEL BLENDS INFLUENCE ON VARIABLE COMPRESSION RATIO DIESEL ENGINE PERFORMANCE AND EXHAUST EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS

BHOJRAJ N. KALE, S. D. PATLE, NISHA NETAM AND H.K. NARANG

Abstract

Now a days, the creation of maintainable biofuels from algal biomass has acquired serious consideration and been examined as a possible substitution of petroleum fuel. The utilization of biofuels got from plant biomass in compression ignition engine can lessen a dangerous atmospheric pollutant and different risks on climate (greenhouse gas emission), yet the trouble related to these biodiesel is feed stocks, crop land prerequisite for their cultivation bringing about lack of crop land for growth of food yields. In this situation algae are the finest prominent option of biodiesel. Especially microalgae are most trustworthy resource of biodiesel on the basis that they are non-eatable, and they don’t need crop land for their cultivation. This work was directed with an objective to investigate the capability of novel, less considered biodiesel from microalgae species, which can be utilized as a substitute fuel in place of traditional (petroleum) diesel. The biodiesel is extracted by means of transesterification process. On volume basis the microalgae are mixed with petroleum diesel to prepared Microalgae blends (MAB) as per experimentation need. The experimental investigation of impact of biodiesel on performance along with exhaust emission characteristics of single cylinder diesel (compression ignition) engine was researched. Various blends of Microalgae biodiesel presented a reduction in torque and hence brake power resulting in average reduction of 7.14 % in the BTE (brake thermal efficiency) also 11.54 % increase of BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) as equated to petroleum diesel. With increase in blends ratio in diesel, there were considerable reduction in exhaust emission characteristics which are carbon monoxide (CO), plus hydrocarbon (HC). However, for all the algal biodiesel blends, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxides (CO2) increases but compatible and in acceptable range of petroleum diesel.