Performance Analysis of Biofuel - Ethanol Blends in Diesel Engine - A Review

Increasing energy demand and environment concerns have prompted an evolution of an alternative fuel sources. As an alternative fuel source, biofuel – ethanol blends are attractive because it reduces engine emissions. A biofuel is a fuel that contains energy from geologically recent carbon fixation. These fuels are produced from living organisms. These fuels are made by a biomass conversion (biomass refers to recently living organisms, most often referring to plants or plant-derived materials). However, biofuel produces higher NOx emissions compared to ordinary diesel fuel. Ethanol is a low cost oxygenate with high oxygen content (35%) that has been used in ethanol–diesel fuel blends. The use of ethanol in diesel fuel can yield significant reduction of particulate matter (PM) emissions for motor vehicles. The Carbon monoxide, smoke & exhaust gas temperature reduced with the increase of ethanol percentage in biofuel-ethanol blends. The hydrocarbon emissions increased with ethanol but lower than that of the diesel fuel by a maximum with 10% ethanol in biofuel - ethanol blend. The blending of 20% biofuel into ethanol blends allowed higher percentage (30%) of ethanol mixing with diesel, increased the brake thermal efficiency and reduced the carbon monoxide, sound, hydrocarbons and smoke than that of the diesel fuel. After that it is to be validated in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).