The Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Neat Biodiesel

Due to increasing the demand for fossil fuels and more liberation of pollutants in environment, a number of renewable sources of energy have been studied worldwide. Non edible oil contains several unsaponifiable and toxic components, which make them unsuitable for human consumption. An attempt is made to assess the suitability of vegetable oil for diesel engine operation, without any modifications in its existing construction. Biodiesel is a clean and renewable fuel which is considered to be the best substitution for diesel fuels. In order to achieve this, biodiesel was prepared from the non-edible oil of Mahua oil by transesterification of the crude oil with methanol in the presence of NaOH as catalyst, and adding nano particles (TiO2, Al2O3). The important fuel properties of methyl esters of biodiesel produced from Mahua oil, like viscosity, flash point, fire point, calorific value etc., should be found out to compare with the properties of Indian standard biodiesel for its use.