Extraction and utilization of biodiesel from tannery fleshing waste in a diesel engine equipped with common rail direct injection system for cleaner emission

ABSTRACT

Escalating energy requirements and concerns over the climate changes entail the researchers to find a viable alternate fuel. Energy derived from waste offers two advantages (i) it compensates the energy demand and (ii) reduces the pollution caused by dumped waste products. In the present study fleshing waste from tanneries is used as feedstock to produce biodiesel which was used as a fuel to partially replace fossil diesel. Three binary blends viz., D90WLB10, D80WLB20, and D70WLB30 were prepared using splash blending technique and utilized in a compression ignition engine to assess its influence on various characteristics of diesel engine. Results show that WLB blends presented lower PCP and higher HRR than baseline diesel fuel. The engine performance deteriorated with WLB blends against diesel operation. Among the blends, D90WLB10 showed 4% and 6% higher BTE than D80WLB20 and D70WLB30, respectively. Addition of 10% by vol of WLB to diesel increased the NOx emission, however, it suppressed as the proportion of WLB increases. D90WLB10 presented lower smoke, HC, and CO emission when compared to the other blends. The study revealed that D90WLB10 blend exhibit better engine performance with lower emissions and can be utilized in diesel engines without any engine modifications.

KEYWORDS:

• Biodiesel
• tannery waste
• leather
• emission
• diesel engine

Abbreviations

ASTM, American Society for Testing and Materials; BMEP, Brake Mean Effective Pressure, bar; BSEC, Brake Specific Energy Consumption, kJ/kW-hr; BSFC, Brake Specific Fuel Consumption, kg/kW-hr; BTE, Brake Thermal Efficiency, %; CA, Crank Angle, deg; CCI, Calculated Cetane Index; CO, Carbon monoxide, % vol.; CRDi, Common Rail Direct Injection; D90WLB10, Diesel-90% by vol., WLB-10% by vol.; D80WLB20, Diesel-80% by vol., WLB-20% by vol.; D70WLB30, Diesel-70% by vol., WLB-30% by vol.; ECU, Electronic Control Unit; FIP, Fuel Injection Pressure, bar; FIT, Fuel Injection Timing, °CA; HC, Hydrocarbons, ppm; HRR, Heat Release Rate, J/deg; NO_x, Nitrogen oxides, ppm; PCP, Peak Cylinder Pressure; PPM, Parts Per Million; TDC, Top Dead Center, CA; WLB, Waste Leather Biodiesel.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thambiran Esakki

Thambiran Esakki is currently pursuing Ph.D and he has 8 years of working experience as an Assistant Professor in the department of Mechanical engineering. He has handled the variety of courses like I.C Engines, Alternative Fuels, Power Plant Engineering, Engineering thermodynamics and Thermal Engineering. His research involves in Extraction of biodiesel from Non-edible fuels and industrial wastes and engine combustion, performance and emission analysis.

Swaminathan Mangudi Rangaswamy

Swaminathan Mangudi Rangaswamy an able researcher with a blend of teaching, skill development and research experience. Has an academic experience of 19 years with IC engines, passive cooling of systems and Computational Fluid Dynamics being his areas of interest. With hands on experience in utilizing various renewable alternate fuels in stationary IC engines, CFD, thermal management of Electric Vehicle systems and passive cooling of thermal systems.  Extremely result oriented in achieving two career goals of creation of employable students, and to contribute in enhancing the existing academic standards through systemic research and sustained industry-academia connects. Have proven expertise in the research field with SCI Journals and SCOPUS indexed journal publications. Delivered many guest lectures and conducted more than seven Faculty Development Programmes. Attended more than 15 FDP’s to improve teaching skills and enrich area of expertise.