The purpose of this research work was to investigate the optimum operating conditions for biodiesel production from castor oil using a microwave. The Box–Behnken design of experiment was carried out using the Design Expert 7. A response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the influence of the process variables (molar ratio of methanol to castor oil, catalyst concentration, reaction ti...

The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between engine performance and emissions of cottonseed oil biodiesel used in a 14.2 kW diesel engine. When using cottonseed oil biodiesel blends, CO, total hydrocarbon (THC), NOx, and SO2 emissions decreased as compared to petroleum diesel. Carbon dioxide emissions had no definitive trend in relation to cottonseed oil biodiesel bl...

Introduction The international biodiesel production increased steadily and exponentially from 2000 to 2007 (WBGU, 2008). More than half of this increase can be attributed to biodiesel production in the European Union (EU). The production of biodiesel in Europe depends mostly on canola oil (e.g. Ho, 2006). As a result, Europe naturally had an increase in the demand for canola oil. In fact, the i...

A novel thermotolerant lipase from Bacillus aerius was immobilized on inexpensive silica gel matrix. The immobilized lipase was used for the synthesis of biodiesel using castor oil as a substrate in a solvent free system at 55°C under shaking in a chemical reactor. Several crucial parameters affecting biodiesel yield such as incubation time, temperature, substrate molar ratio, and amount of lip...

This study explores the potential of titanium oxide impregnated on calcium oxide (CaO-TiO2) as catalyst in transesterification of vegetable palm oil (VPO) to produce biodiesel. The biodiesel yield increased with catalyst calcination temperature and reaction time, and the usage of CaO-TiO2 led to higher biodiesel production when compared to reaction catalyzed by CaO. Biodiesel yield of 93.33% wa...

A research on production of biodiesel from lipid of phytoplankton Chaetoceros calcitrans through ultrasonic method has been done. In this research, we carried out a series of phytoplankton cultures to determine the optimum time of growth and biodiesel synthesis process from phytoplankton lipids. Process of biodiesel synthesis consists of two steps, that is, isolation of phytoplankton lipids and...

In CI engines, the evaporation rate of fuel on various hot surfaces, including the combustion chamber, has a significant effect on deposit formation and accumulation, the exhaust emissions of PM and NOx, and their efficiency. Therefore, the evaporation of liquid fuel droplets impinging on hot surfaces has become an important subject of interest to engine designers, manufacturers, and researcher...

Stringent emission legislation all over the world has led to the search for alternative fuels for I.C. Engines. In this context, experiments were carried out to evaluate the exhaust emissions and combustion characteristics with a conventional diesel engine (CE) and ceramic coated low heat rejection (LHR) diesel engine [with ceramic coated cylinder head] with different operating conditions [norm...

BACKGROUND Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) has emerged as a novel potential source of biodiesel in China, but the molecular regulatory mechanism of oil accumulation in Siberian apricot seed kernels (SASK) is still unknown at present. To better develop SASK oil as woody biodiesel, it is essential to profile transcriptome and to identify the full repertoire of potential unigenes involved in...