Emission studies on a direct injection diesel engine fueled with Karanja biodiesel using dimethyl carbonate as additive

Abstract

The increasing demand for fossil fuel owing to rapid growth in civilization, industries, automobiles etc., not only deplete the conventional energy sources, but also responsible for the global climate change. In this context, biofuels in recent years have emerged as potential substitute for various conventional fuels. There are growing opportunities for the development and application of biodiesel as a promising substitute in automotive engines. The key objective of the current study is to make a comparative analysis of the performance and emissions of biodiesel synthesized from non-edible Karanja oil with an additive in a conventional diesel engine while comparing the findings with results of diesel fuel. Major physio-chemical properties of Karanja oil were experimentally evaluated after transesterification and it was found within permissible range of relevant standards. The present study primarily dealt with the key emission parameters, viz. CO, HC, NO_x and smoke emissions of a diesel engine fueled with Karanja biodiesel (KBD) using dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as an additive. The study revealed that use of DMC in KBD improves fuel properties and lowers the key emission parameters. Thus, the present work establishes the use of DMC as a suitable additive to diesel and biodiesel fuel in a diesel engine without engine modifications.