Experimental Study On The Cold Flow Behaviour Of Azadirachta Indica (NEEM) Biodiesel Blended With Petroleum-based Fuels And Natural Organic Solvents

Abstract

Due to the poor cold flow behaviour of biodiesel in winter, it tends to form solidifying gel in many cold regions across the world, making it challenging to use as an alternative fuel in diesel engines. This research investigation was conducted to investigate the comparative impact on cold flow parameters of biodiesel produced from Azadirachta indica (Neem oil) by blending with petroleum-based fuels and natural organic solvents. The B20 blends with kerosene showed significant improvement in CP, PP, and CFPP to -10 °C, -19 °C, and -20 °C, respectively. B20* blend enhanced the CP, PP and CFPP to 8 °C, 2 °C, and 6 °C respectively, while mixed kerosene/ diesel B20** blend improved CFPP, CP and PP by -4.5 °C, -7 °C and -8 °C respectively. Blend (B20T10) with natural turpentine oil improved CP, PP, and CFPP to 7 °C, 5 °C, and -2 °C, respectively. Diethyl ether and n-butanol did not show substantial improvement in biodiesel cold flow characteristics. The ester functional group in the biodiesel from ATR-FTIR spectral peaks was found at 1740.2 cm−1 denotes C=O, i.e., carbonyl group confirmation in the presence of ester linkage. The cost analysis of B20y** and B20T10 were found to be USD 0.747 and USD 0.782 per L, respectively in comparison to that of petroleum diesel, USD 0.770 per L. Neem biodiesel production showed a positive net energy balance of 14.28%. According to the current study, it is recommended to use blended mixed kerosene/diesel (B20**) and biodiesel blend with turpentine oil (B20T10) in diesel engines with suitable physico-chemical and cold flow properties in compliance with ASTM D6571standard.

Keywords

• biodiesel
• turpentine oil
• cold flow properties
• azadirachta indica
• kerosene
• n- butanol