Impact assessment of biofuel from waste neem oil

ABSTRACT

India is a developing nation with fast growing demand for oil. A major part of the requirement has to be met through imports, as domestic production cannot cater to the current demand. Oil imports put a huge burden on foreign exchange and thus cast negative effects on our economy. So extensive emphasis has been laid on production of biodiesel from sources of non-edible oil, such as Karanja, Pongamia, Jatropha, Mahua, Sal, Neem, etc; as these are abundantly available in India. Neem is an evergreen tree that can handle extremely dry conditions as well as sub humid conditions except freezing, is immune to disease and pest and can grow on poor quality soils including clay, saline and alkaline soils. Its life is over 200 years and its seeds contain 30–40% of oil content. Billions of Neem trees exist all over India and only 25–30% of Neem seeds are collected from them for production of oil, which is estimated to be around 100 thousand tons per annum. This considerable quantity of Neem oil can be produced from the remaining seeds, which shows its vast untapped potential. Neem oil has multiple applications, as after extraction of Azardiratchi, which is used for medicinal purposes, the remaining part of the oil can be used for production of biodiesel. The focus of this elaborate review includes Neem oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production, optimization of Neem Biodiesel production and evaluation of engine performance and emission characteristics on Neem biodiesel.

KEYWORDS:

• Neem
• Biodiesel
• Transesterification
• Engine
• Oxidation stability
• Fuel

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mayank Chhabra

Mayank Chhabra is serving as Assistant Professor-1 in Mechanical Engineering Department at Amity University, Noida (India). He is pursuing Ph.D from Punjabi University, Patiala (India). His research interests remain focused on Alternative fuels, particulary Biofuels and Internal Combustion Engines.

B. S. Saini

B. S. Saini is serving as Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department at Punjabi University, Patiala (India). His research interests remain centered on sustainability, particularly in terms of eco-friendly materials and renewable energy resources. During his previous job in automobile R&D, he worked on various design and development projects for on-road and off-road vehicles. On personal front, he is an amateur astronomer and has been freelancing with national newspapers as a popular science writer. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Gaurav Dwivedi

Dr. Gaurav Dwivedi, B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, M.Tech in Energy System from IIT Roorkee, PhD in the field of Renewable Energy (Bio fuel) from IIT Roorkee, India. He has several years of teaching experience in the field of Mechanical Engineering teaching various subjects like IC Engine, Thermodynamics, Fluid Machinery and others. His area of research interest is Bio-diesel, Fuel, Engine Operation, Small hydro Power systems. Currently he is working as Assistant Professor in Energy Centre at MANIT Bhopal India.