Performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel fuel from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae

In this study, the performance and emission characteristics of produced biodiesel from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae are investigated for the first time. To achieve reliable results, all production stages including cultivation, harvesting, oil extraction, and transesterification are executed in the current study. The cetane number and heating value of the produced biodiesel from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae were 54 and 40.2 MJ kg(-1), respectively. The results of emission analysis showed that the use of B10 and B20 biofuels emitted less CO, HC, and NOx pollutants than diesel fuel (the average reductions of CO, HC, and NOx emissions for B10 are 9.21%, 7.32%, and 2.89%, and for B20 are 23.54%, 18.28%, and 6.97%, respectively); however, these biofuels resulted in more O-2 and CO2 relative to the pure diesel fuel (the average increments of O-2 and CO2 emissions for B10 are 1.55% and 1.33%, and for B20 are 3.46% and 5.43%, respectively). Also, the engine output power with B20 fuel decreased averagely 2.64%, and the BSFC increased 3.46% compared to pure diesel fuel. The results demonstrate the considerable capability of Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae to be the source of a clean fuel. (c) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

This study investigated the performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel produced from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae for the first time. Results showed that B10 and B20 biofuels emitted less pollutants than diesel fuel but produced more O-2 and CO2, and using B20 fuel led to a decrease in engine output power and an increase in BSFC.