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Analysis of Biodiesel from Jatropha Fuel
Properties
Mulayam Singh1, Er. Vikash Chaudhary2, Dr. Manoj Kumar3, Neeraj Saraswat4
1
M.Tech Scholar, I.F.T.M University Moradabad,U.P
Asst.Professor, School of Engineering, I.F.T.M University Moradabad,U.P
3
professor, School of Engineering, I.F.T.M University Moradabad,U.P
4
M.Tech Scholar, Dayal bagh University, Arga, U.P
2
ABSTRACT
This paper describes edible and non-edible oils having high free fatty acid (FFA) could not be converted into biodiesel by
commercially available alkaline transestrification process. A two step pretreatment method (acid esterification) is developed for
converting high FFA oil into their esters. The measured properties of biodiesels are as per standard and closure to diesel fuel.
The Jatropha biodiesel, Jatropha oil & Diesel are used as fuels in compression ignition engine, and their performance and
emission characteristics are analyzed. At 80% load Engine efficiency, BSFC, BTE & Mechanical Efficiency increased & nearly
same as diesel at 100 % load. When load is increased Co2, HC & smoke opacity is less, CO nearly same & Nox slightly
increased. Jatropha biodiesel is a oxygenated fuel, it has more oxygen & Jatropha oil can be used in diesel engine without any
modification.
Keywords: Biodiesel, Jatropha oil, Diesel, Engine
1. INTODUCTION
Fossil fuels are one of the major sources of energy in the world today. Their popularity can be accounted to easy
usability, availability and cost effectiveness. But the limited reserves of fossil fuels are a great concern owing to fast
depletion of the reserves due to increase in worldwide demand. Fossil fuels are the major source of atmospheric
pollution in today’s world. So efforts are on to find alternative sources for this depleting energy source.
Biodiesel can be produced from straight vegetable oil, animal oil/fats, tallow and waste cooking oil. The process used
to convert these oils to Biodiesel is called transesterification. Studies have shown that vegetable oils can be used in
diesel engines as they are found to have properties close to diesel fuel. It is being considered a breakthrough because of
availability of various types of oil seeds in huge quantities. Vegetable oils are renewable in nature and may generate
opportunities for rural employment when used on large scale.
It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, becoming naturalized in some areas. The specific
epithet, "curcas", was first used by Portuguese doctor Garcia de Orta more than 400 years ago and is of uncertain
origin.
Jatropha curcas is a carbon sink, taking carbon dioxide out of the air and putting it into ground. The bio fuel produced
by the seed provides a clean, alternating source of energy that not only helps reduce emissions, but also is able to be
used in diesel engines to power vehicles & irrigation pumps. Project Jatropha hopes to start a mass movement to
mitigate climate change across the world.
Jatropha curcas produces seed that contain an inedible vegetable oil that is used to produce biofuel. Each Jatropha seed
produces between 35 to 37% of its mass in oil. It is drought resistant.
2. LITERATURE RIVIEW
S.Abinav Viswanath et al. explained that the raw oil from the jatropha seed was subjected to trans-esterification process
and is supplied to the engine as Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) blended with diesel. The blends used in this paper are
10%, 20% and 30%. Author found that the performance of the engine under VCR value is maximum at 20% blend for
Compression Ratio 18. The fuel consumption is also found to be increased with, a higher proportion of jatropha curcas
oil in the blend. But BSFC is low at 20% Jatropha Methyl Ester. Emission was found to be optimum at Compression
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Ratio is 18 for all blends of the methyl ester. At high engine load, the peak cylinder pressure was found to be higher for
20% Jatropha Methyl Ester diesel under compression ratio 18. Using STAR CD software, the theoretical and
experimental cylinder pressure is validated and is found to have an error 7.46% [1].Akowuah et al explained that
biodiesel as an alternate fuel for diesel engines has increased in recent years. An important Consideration in selection
of feedstock for biodiesel production is the content of free fatty acid in the oil. However, the free fatty acid is affected
by the storage duration and condition of the feedstock before extraction. This paper investigates the effect of storage
period of jatropha seeds on the oil yield and free fatty acid content of the extracted oil. The study was carried out for a
period of four (4) months. The free fatty acid content and seed oil yield was determined before storage as control and
regularly at monthly intervals. 50g of seed samples at an initial moisture content of 6.39% wb stored at room
temperature and milled using a grinding machine to a particle size of 0.5mm. The Soxhlet extractor was used to extract
the oil using petroleum either as solvent. At average marginal moisture increase of 0.1% over the storage period, oil
yield decreased significantly from 35.57% to 31.1%. Conversely, the free fatty acid content (%) which is one of the
critical parameters in the biodiesel production process also increased from 7.83% to 32.1%. The study concludes that,
storage duration and improper handling of jatropha seeds during storage have an effect on the quality viz. free fatty acid
content of the extracted crude oil for biodiesel production.
Amit et al suggested that the demand for petroleum has risen rapidly due to increasing industrialization and
modernization of the world. This economic development has led to a huge demand for energy, where the major part of
that energy is derived from fossil sources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. Continued use of petroleum sourced
fuels is now widely recognized as unsustainable because of depleting supplies. There is a growing interest in using
Jatropha curcas L. oil as the feedstock for biodiesel production be-cause it is non-edible and thus does not compromise
the edible oils, which are mainly used for food consumption. Further, J. curcas L. seed has a high content of free fatty
acids that is converted in to biodiesel by transesterification with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. The biodiesel
produced has similar properties to that of petroleum-based diesel. Biodiesel fuel has better properties than petro diesel
fuel; it is renewable, biodegradable, non-toxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Biodiesel seems to be a
realistic fuel for future. Biodiesel has the potential to economically, socially, and environmentally benefit communities
as well as countries, and to contribute toward their sustainable development.
Siddharth et al explained that according to European biodiesel standard EN-14214 the minimum requirement of
oxidation stability in terms of induction period is 6 hr by the Rancimat method (EN-14112). The induction period of
fresh Jatropha curcas biodiesel (JCB) is 3.27 hr. Also the thermal stability of JCB is very poor in terms of activation
energy (Ea) and frequency factor (f). The thermal and oxidation behavior is also affected adversely by the container
metal. The present paper is dealing with the study of oxidation and thermal behavior of JCB with respect to different
metal contents. It was found that influence of metal was detrimental to thermal and oxidation stability. Even small
concentrations of metal contaminants showed nearly same influence on oxidation stability as large amounts. Copper
(Cu) showed strongest detrimental effect on both, oxidation and thermal stability. Relative effectiveness of different
antioxidants were also checked and found that pyrogallol (PY) is the most effective one. The effect of PY is studied in
metal contaminated JCB to see the oxidation and thermal stability.
Raja et al showed that the values obtained from the Jatropha methyl ester is closely matched with the values of
conventional diesel and can be used in the existing diesel engine without any modification.
There are several forms of biofuel, often manufactured using sedimentation, centrifugation, and filtration. The fats
and oils are turned into esters while separating the glycerin. At the end of the process, the glycerin settles and the
biofuel floats. The process through which the glycerin is separated from the biodiesel is known as transesterification.
Glycerin is another by-product from Jatropha oil processing that can add value to the crop. Transesterification is a
simple chemical reaction that neutralizes the free fatty acids present in any fatty substances in Jatropha. The reaction
occurs by the presence of a catalyst, usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or caustic soda and potassium hydroxide
(KOH), which forms fatty esters (e.g., methyl or ethyl esters), commonly known as biodiesel. It takes approximately
10% of methyl alcohol by weight of the fatty substance to start the trans esterification process .
Mukherjee et al showed that bio-fuels extracted from plant species has been a major renewable source of energy such as
Jatropha curcas L.
Raja et al explained that biodiesel, a promising substitute as an alternative fuel has gained significant attention due to
the predicted shortness of conventional fuels and environmental concern. The utilization of liquid fuels such as
biodiesel produced from Jatropha oil by transesterification process represents one of the most promising options for the
use of conventional fossil fuels.
3. EXPERIMENT SET UP
The raw jatropha oil is purchased from Daresi, Agra . The main plantation is located at RBS College farm house,
Bichpuri, Agra.
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3.1 MATERIAL
1. Jatropha Oil, Methanol,KOH
2.Transesterification: 250mL three-necked flat bottom flask with a reflux condenser (to reduce the loss of methanol
by evaporation), thermometer and a stopper to add the catalyst solution. The reaction mixture was heated and
stirred by a glass rod stirrer with 12 volt DC motor.
3.Viscosity measurements: by using the thermal-Hydrometer apparatus ,Red wood viscometer (Canon- Fenke
calibrated,15cSt max. range)
4.Density measurements : Hydrometer
5.Flash & Fire Points Temperature measurements: Pensky martin apparatus
6.Calorific Value measurements : Bomb Calorimeter
7.Ash content measurements: Muffle furnace
8.C I Engine Test Rig
9.Emission Analyzer
3.2 METHOD
Trans-esterification Process:
Biodiesel can be produced from Edible & Non Edible Oils. There are three basic routes to biodiesel production from
oils and fats:
1.Base catalyzed transesterification of the oil.
2.Direct acid catalyzed transesterification of the oil.
3.Conversion of the oil to its fatty acids and then to biodiesel.
Almost all biodiesel is produced using base catalyzed transesterification as it is the most economical process requiring
only low temperatures and pressures and producing a 98% conversion yield. For this reason only this process will be
described in this report.
The Transesterification process is the reaction of a triglyceride (fat/oil) with an alcohol to form esters and glycerol. A
triglyceride has a glycerin molecule as its base with three long chain fatty acids attached. The characteristics of the fat
are determined by the nature of the fatty acids attached to the glycerin. The nature of the fatty acids can in turn affect
the characteristics of the biodiesel. During the esterification process, the triglyceride is reacted with alcohol in the
presence of a catalyst, usually a strong alkaline like sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. The alcohol reacts with
the fatty acids to form the mono-alkyl ester, or biodiesel and crude glycerol. In most production methanol or ethanol is
the alcohol used (methanol produces methyl esters while ethanol produces ethyl esters) and is base catalyzed by either
potassium or sodium hydroxide, Potassium hydroxide has been found to be more suitable for the ethyl ester biodiesel
production, while either base can be used for the methyl ester. A common product of the transesterification process is
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the Oil Methyl Ester (OME) produced from raw oil reacted with methanol. The figure below shows the chemical
process for methyl ester biodiesel.
DETAILED SPECIFICATION OF TEST RIG
1. ENGINE
a. MAKE – Brand New Assemble Engine
b.Speed – 1500 RPM with Governor Mechanism
2. ELECTRICAL DYNAMO METER – An AC alternator is coupled to the engine connected with load bank.
3. AIR INTAKE MEASUREMENT – Air Intake fitted with orifice and water manometer.
4. FUEL INTAKE MEASUREMENT – Calibrated burette arrangement fitted on the control panel to measure the fuel
consumption with two numbers. Ball Valve to control and measure the quantity of fuel consume.
5. EXHAUST GAS CALORIMETER – Water cooled gas calorimeter shell and coil type to study the heat lost to
exhaust gases. Water flows inside the copper tubes and exhaust gases flows into the shell.
MULTI CHANNEL TEMPRATURE INDICATOR – For measuring inlet and outlet temperature of exhaust gases and
water fall engine cooling jacket and calorimeter with Cr-Al Thermocouples.
Figure - Multi Channel Temperature Indicator
1.Water inlet temperature – To engine and calorimeter
2.Water outlet Temperature – To engine
3.Water outlet Temperature – To calorimeter
4.Exhaust gas inlet temperature – To Calorimeter
5.Exhaust Gas Outlet Temperature – To Calorimeter
6.Ambient Temperature
4. RESULT
ENGINE PERFORMANCE
ENGINE PERFORMANCE PARAMETER AT 100% DIESEL
DENSITY = 0.81
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CALORIFIC VALUE= 42200
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5. CONCLUSION
From the above results the following can be interpreted:
The mechanical efficiency of the engine while using Biodiesel is more than the conventional petroleum diesel. When
the percentage of Biodiesel increases the mechanical efficiency also increases simultaneously.
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No considerable change in the value of the torque was noticed. The torque remained almost the same for all the blends
irrespective of EGR.
Other performance characteristics of the diesel engine running with Biodiesel almost remained same with the
implementation of EGR.
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