Biodiesel production from non-edible feedstock from a novel ternary mixture of Argemone Mexicana, Azadirachta Indica and Bakayan seeds oil

ABSTRACT

As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, there is a growing need to balance energy security with energy demand. Several energy sources are being investigated and tested, primarily for driving automobiles. Biodiesel, a common vegetable oil derivative, is growing in popularity in several countries due to its substantial similarity to conventional diesel. Biodiesel can be promissorily used as a replacement liquid fuel for petrol-based diesel for compression ignition engines. At present, biodiesel production primarily relies on edible vegetable oils as its main source. This research explores the potential of a non-edible blend of Argemone Mexicana, Azadirachta Indica, and Melia Azedarach Linn seeds for biodiesel production. In the study, the raw oil was extracted from a novel ternary mixture of three non-edible oil seeds together. The raw oil was further processed for methyl ester production in two step process as the FFA was achieved more than 6%. Moreover, the biodiesel yield percentage was optimized by adjusting the parameters; catalyst concentration, molar ratio and heating time. The findings show that a 6:1 molar ratio, 60 min heating time and 0.6% by weight catalyst concentration yielded the highest percentage of biodiesel at 93%. The physio-chemical characteristics of the produced biodiesel were evaluated, and the outcomes satisfied the ASTM standards. The novel ternary mixture biodiesel exhibited equivalent chemical properties such as calorific value, viscosity and density as 39 MJ/kg, 7.2 mm²/s and 0.860 g/cm³ respectively. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using non-edible oil from the seeds together for biodiesel production and the potential of this novel ternary mixture as an alternative to conventional diesel fuel.

KEYWORDS:

• Argemone Mexicana Seeds
• Melia Azedarach Linn seeds
• Biodiesel
• Diesel fuel
• Diesel engine

Acknowledgements

The I.C. Engine Laboratory Research Facility of the “Mechanical Engineering Department of The National Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar” is duly acknowledged. I am also thankful to Dr. Om Prakash, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, for his invaluable advice on conducting tests.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ajay Partap Singh

Mr. Ajay Partap Singh received his B. Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIMT Engineering College Meerut, U.P, India in 2011 and completed his M. Tech. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab, India in 2013. He is currently pursuing his Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India. His areas of interest are Internal Combustion Engine, Alternative fuels, Combustion analysis, Combustion stability analysis. He has authored 3 conference articles and has published one journal articles.

Om Prakash

Dr. Om Prakash received his B. Tech. and M. tech from NIT Trichi. He received his PhD from IIT Delhi. He is currently Professor in Mechancial Engineering Department in National Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, India. His areas of interest are Internal Combustion Engine, Alternative fuels.