Improving the combustion and emission performance of a diesel engine powered with mahua biodiesel and TiO2 nanoparticles additive

The dwindling air quality and diminishing fossil fuel reserves have led to an increase in the need for alternative sources of fuel. Biodiesel derived from animal/plant sources seems to be an attractive substitution. However, there are some shortcomings of biodiesel like lower thermal effi-ciency, poor atomization, inferior heating value, and higher molecular mass. One of the probable novel ways to address this lacuna is by the use of nano based biodiesel in IC engine. The present study performs an endeavor to improve the performance and emulsion qualities of biodiesel gener-ated from mahua oil by employing Titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles as an additive. All trials were conducted in a diesel-powered engine at varying load levels with different test fuel such as die-sel fuel, blended biodiesel (80 % diesel + 20 % mahua biodiesel), and nanoparticle-based blended biodiesel (80 % diesel + 20 % mahua biodiesel - 200 mg/L TiO2). When compared to diesel mode, the average CO emission reduction for blended biodiesel and nanoparticle-based blended biodiesel is 37.42 % and 46.54 %, respectively. In comparison to diesel mode, the average reduction in HC emission is 22.54 % for the blended biodiesel and 28.4 % for the nanoparticle-based blended bio -diesel, respectively. When compared to diesel mode, the average reduction in NOx emission is 4 % and 2.3 % for the blended biodiesel and nanoparticle-based blended biodiesel, respectively. CO 2023 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Dwindling air quality and fossil fuel reserves have prompted the need for alternative fuel sources. Biodiesel from animal/plant sources appears to be a viable substitute, although it has some drawbacks. One potential solution is the use of nano-based biodiesel in internal combustion engines, with the addition of Titanium oxide nanoparticles. This study shows that the nanoparticle-based blended biodiesel has significantly reduced emissions compared to diesel fuel.