Performance and Emission Characteristics on Diesel Engine with Biodiesel Blend using Ballnutt Oil

Due to the increasing demand for fossil fuel 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 modification in its existing construction. Biodiesel is a clean and renewable fuel which is considered to be best substitution for diesel fuel. In order to achieve this, Biodiesel was prepared from the non-edible oil of ball nut by transesterification of the oil with methanol in the presence of NaOH as catalyst. The important fuel properties of biodiesel produced from ballnut oil, like viscocity, flash point, fire point, calorific value and emission should be found out to compare with the properties of Indian standard biodiesel for its use.