Amit Pal

Ultrasonic-assisted optimization of biodiesel production from Karabi oil using heterogeneous catalyst

ABSTRACT Biodiesel as an alternative to fossil fuels has been developed consistently in last few years due to its several advantages such as renewable and biodegradable fuel, reduction of global warming, less air pollution, low sulfur content, low toxic emission, high cetane number, less water and soil pollution, and fewer health risks. In this paper, the effects of methanol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst amount and reaction time on the transesterification of Karabi oil to biodiesel were investigated. Methanol with calcium oxide as a heterogeneous catalyst was used for the transesterification process at a temperature of 60 °C using different methods of biodiesel production such as mechanical stirring (MS) and ultrasonic cavitation (US). US techniques have shown a faster reaction rate than the MS method. The maximum biodiesel yield of 94.1% was obtained in 2 hours using a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 12:1, a catalyst amount of 5 w/w% and a reaction temperature of 60 °C by the ultrasonic cavitation method, along with improved physiochemical characteristics and very reduced energy consumption.

Biodiesel production from oleander ( Thevetia Peruviana ) oil and its performance testing on a diesel engine

Oleander oil has been used as raw material for producing biodiesel using ultrasonic irradiation method at the frequency of 20 kHz and horn type reactor 50 watt. A two-step transesterification process was carried out for optimum condition of 0.45 v/v methanol to oil ratio, 1.2% v/v H2SO4 catalyst, 45 °C reaction temperature and 15min reaction time, followed by treatment with 0.25 v/v methanol to oil ratio, 0.75% w/v KOH alkaline catalyst, 50 °C reaction temperature and 15 min reaction time. The fuel properties of Oleander biodiesel so obtained confirmed the requirements of both the standards ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 for biodiesel. Further Oleander biodiesel-diesel blends were tested to evaluate the engine performance and emission characteristics. The performance and emission of 20% Oleander biodiesel blend (B20) gave a satisfactory result in diesel engines as the brake thermal efficiency increased 2.06% and CO and UHC emissions decreased 41.4% and 32.3% respectively, compared to mineral diesel. Comparative investigation of performance and emissions characteristics of Oleander biodiesel blends and mineral diesel showed that oleander seed is a potential source of biodiesel and blends up to 20% can be used for realizing better performance from an unmodified diesel engine.

Biodiesel production from Nerium oleander (Thevetia peruviana) oil through conventional and ultrasonic irradiation methods

ABSTRACT In the present research work, Nerium oleander oil has been used as raw material for producing biodiesel using both ultrasonic transesterification and a magnetic stirrer method. A two-step transesterification process was carried out for optimum condition of 0.40% V/V methanol to oil ratio, 1% V/V H2SO4 catalyst, 55°C temperature, and 60 min reaction time followed by treatment with 0.2% V/V methanol to oil ratio, 1% V/W KOH alkaline catalyst, 55°C temperature, and 60 min reaction time. The process is repeated with an ultrasonic method at the frequency of 28 kHz using ultrasonic horn type reactor (50 W) for about 10–15 min. Biodiesel obtained from ultrasonic method and magnetic stirrer was then compared for their percentage yield and physiochemical properties. Ultrasonic transesterification process gave a maximum yield of 97% by weight of oleander biodiesel along with improved physiochemical characteristics. Therefore, it is concluded that ultrasonic method is the most effective method for converting crude oleander oil into biodiesel.

Optimisation of biodiesel production from bitter groundnut oil using Taguchi method and its performance and emissions characteristics on a 4-cylinder Tata Indica engine

In this study, the production, performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel blends produced from bitter ground nut oil were compared to the diesel fuel. In first part of research, the production of biodiesel from bitter groundnut oil and optimisation of process parameters were undertaken. In second part, performance of 4-cylinder Tata Indica diesel engine has been studied at different engine speeds. During engine performance tests, the biodiesel blends showed higher brake specific fuel consumption and exhaust gas temperature, while marginally lower brake power, torque and brake thermal efficiency than the diesel fuel were noticed. Engine emissions showed higher carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide releases, but decreased amount of carbon monoxide for biodiesel blends compared to the diesel fuel. From the experimental results, it is clear that the bitter groundnut oil-based biodiesel can also be used in a CI engine without any modifications.

Performance, emission and combustion characteristics of an Indica diesel engine operated with Yellow Oleander (Thevetia peruviana) oil biodiesel produced through hydrodynamic cavitation method

ABSTRACT The present work deals about the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a four-cylinder, direct injection, water-cooled, Indica diesel engine fuelled with biodiesel produced through the hydrodynamic cavitation method from an underutilised and potential feedstock Yellow Oleander (Thevetia peruviana) oil. Engine tests were performed with neat diesel and biodiesel blends of 10%, 20% and 30% from Yellow Oleander oil at different engine speeds. Experimental results showed that biodiesel produced through the hydrodynamic cavitation technique with a 1% w/w catalyst percentage, 6:1 molar ratio and 35 min reaction time was equal to 97.5%. During engine performance tests, biodiesel blends showed higher brake-specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency (for lower blends up to 20%) and exhaust gas temperature than diesel fuel. Engine emissions showed higher nitrogen oxide, but a decreased amount of smoke opacity, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon and favourable p–θ diagram as compared to diesel.

The production of semal oil methyl esters through a combined process reactor

ABSTRACT The present study deals with the development of a combined reactor involving an ultrasonic reactor (UR) and a mechanical stirrer (MS) for the transesterification of vegetable oil, extracted from semal (Bombax Ceiba). Reaction variables such as reaction time, methanol to oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, and ultrasonic irradiation power were investigated to find the optimal parameters for maximizing biodiesel yield. The optimum conditions with the combined process reactor (CPR) are: 30 min reaction time, 4.5/1 molar ratio, 0.5% catalyst, and 40% of the maximum ultrasonic power with a maximum yield of 96.4% as compared to 110 min, 6/1 molar ratio, and 1% catalyst with a maximum yield of 90.7% for the MS, and 40 min, 4.5/1 molar ratio, 0.75% catalyst, and 50% of the maximum ultrasonic power with a maximum yield of 92.1% in a UR.

Comparative study of biodiesel production methods from Yellow Oleander oil and its performance analysis on an agricultural diesel engine

ABSTRACT In this present work, biodiesel is produced from Yellow Oleander oil using different methods such as hydrodynamic cavitation (HC), ultrasonic cavitation (UC) and conventional mechanical stirring (MS) methods via trans-esterification under optimised conditions, the oil to methanol molar ratio is 4.5:1 in the presence of .75 wt. % potassium hydroxide (KOH) as the alkali catalyst and 60°C operating temperature. Results showed that yield obtained by HC technique is higher when compared to UC and MS methods. After that, experiments have been carried out to estimate the performance and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder, four-stroke, diesel engine fuelled with Yellow Oleander oil methyl ester and its blends with 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% biodiesel with diesel at different loading conditions. The results of the experiments have been compared and analysed with standard diesel and they confirm considerable improvement in the performance parameters as well as exhaust emissions.

Biodiesel production from microalgae oil through conventional and ultrasonic methods

ABSTRACT In the present study, the oil extracted from the microalga Neochloris oleoabundans was used for producing biodiesel. The viscosity of microalgal oil was very high so transesterification was done by an ultrasonic method and a simple basic method. Free fatty acid content in oil was found high so a two-step transesterification reaction was used. Maximum yield of algal oil methyl ester was acquired by the ultrasonic method (98%) with improved physicochemical characteristics, whereas the biodiesel yield obtained by simple transesterification process was low (91%). The maximum oil content in N. oleoabundans was found to be 42% and major fatty acids include palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. Finally, it was conferred that the ultrasonic-assisted transesterification method is the best technique for biodiesel production from microalgal oil.

Biodiesel production from Cedrus deodara oil in different types of ultrasonic reactors and energy analysis

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the production of biodiesel using vegetable oil, extracted from Deodar (Cedrus deodara) in various types of ultrasonic reactors. The biodiesel so produced is tested for its property and stability. Biodiesel yield is optimized as a function of reaction time for various ultrasonic reactors. The biodiesel production through the triple-frequency flow cell ultrasonic reactor is found the most energy efficient when compared to other types of ultrasonic reactors. Biodiesel so produced from deodar oil is stable under atmospheric conditions with its various physicochemical properties within the range of acceptable limits of the diesel engine.

Solar Assisted Biodiesel Production

Due to the scarcity of fossil energy sources and high combustion generated pollution, new alternative greener energy sources became the necessity of the time. Biodiesel is a potential alternative for depleting energy sources since it is produced mainly from vegetable oils and animal fats, which are a renewable resource and are biodegradable and non-toxic. The production process of biodiesel involves heating and mixing triglyceride with methanol (or ethanol) in the presence of various catalysts. Currently, biodiesel is produced via transesterification reactions catalyzed by chemical catalysts, which produces higher fatty acid alkyl esters in shorter reaction time. The amount of electricity required for heating and mixing in this process need to be replaced with renewable resources. An effective means for minimizing the amount of power required to drive chemical reactions to completion is proposed through the use of various solar systems. In this study, CSP is used to incorporate solar energy for biodiesel production. Experiments are conducted with various solar techniques and with different process parameters to propose the optimized solution. Through the utilization of solar energy, the generation of carbon dioxide waste during biodiesel production has been eliminated. Biodiesel produced is comparable to the petro-diesel in properties and production process economical.