Preparation of Biodiesel Using Ultrasonication Energy and its Performance in CI Engine

Abstract

Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), a renewable liquid biofuel popularly known as biodiesel, is emerging as a suitable replacement to common diesel fuel (CDF) in unmodified Compression Ignition (CI) engine. Present article reports the development of a process to reduce the operating cost during the conversion of vegetable oil to biodiesel through the application of ultrasound energy. Around 98% yield of FAME could be achieved with low reaction parameters such as methanol-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, reaction time, and temperature. The optimum condition for the maximum 98% yield was 1.0 wt% of NaOH catalyst, 5:1 methanol: oil molar ratio and temperature 55°C under a sonication frequency of 20 kHz. With these reaction parameters the conversion occurred in just 5 minutes. The FAME obtained was purified in an effective way by water washing followed by passing over a bed of silica gel. The purified FAME was subjected to the evaluation of its fuel characteristics in a four-stroke, single-cylinder CI engine, which could operate with variable compression ratio. The engine performance study revealed that lower blends of biodiesel up to B20 could be an efficient fuel for an unmodified CI engine.

Keywords:

• FAME
• Biodiesel
• Transesterification
• Ultrasonication
• Compression Ignition Engine

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for sponsoring the project on, “Development of Process Technology to produce Low Cost Biodiesel” (via the approval letter no. 8023/BOA/RPS134/2006–07 dated March 24, 2007) to DKS and CV Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar, for financial support and laboratory facilities. The support by UGC (DRS) and CSIR (FIST) to the School of Chemistry, Sambalpur University, is also gratefully acknowledged.