NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES

JATROPHA OIL~ THE GREEN FUEL FOR FUTURE

SUBMITTED BY

P.RAMANI
V.KAMAKSHI
3/4 EEE(B.E) 3/4 EEE(B.E)
ramani_0710@yahoo.co.in
valkam23@yahoo.co.in

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(Autonomous)
Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management
Visakhapatnam-530 045
2007-2008
 NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCE
BIO-DIESEL FROM JATROPHA OIL AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR C.I
ENGINE
ABSTRACT:
This paper attempts to bring out the performance of the alternative fuel “BIODIESEL A
DERIVATIVE FROM JATROPHA OIL”. The onset of Industrial Revolution led to the
exploitation of fossil fuels, which results in environmental problems such as pollution and green
house effect. It is already estimated that our bar of fossil fuels gets exhausted with in few
decades. It’s hightime we set in search of other alternatives .
In recent years, several studies are carried on vegetable oils to make them play for the
conventional diesel and initiatives are being taken to bring this fuel from the fields to the
wheels. The availability of wastelands, presence of a variety of non-edible oil seeds and plants,
biodegradability and emission benefits are some of the positive attributes which speaks for
biodiesel for substituting petrodiesel .. Here is a new process of producing biodiesel from the
oil extracted from a typical plant JETROPHA .In short this paper speaks about cultivating
diesel and bringing this from fields to wheels .

INTRODUCTION:
Imported petroleum products constitutes a major drain on our foreign exchange
reserves, which involved a cost of approximately Rs. 90,000 crores/annum. Even 5%
replacement of petroleum fuel by bio-fuel can help India save Rs.4000 crores per year in
foreign exchange. It is utmost important that the options for substitution of petroleum fuels be
explored to control this burgeoning import bill. The degrading air qualities in our cities further
warrant the quest for alternate cleaner fuels. With the stock of fossil fuels diminishing
throughout the world and demand for energy based comforts and mobility ever increasing,
time is ripe that we strike a balance between energy security and energy usage. Moreover
having uplifted to such a sphere of engineering excellence, reverting back to the ages of the bull
carts will prove next to impossible thereby compelling us to search for a basket of alternative
fuels to derive energy to cater to our needs. Several sources of energy, especially for driving the
automotives are being developed and tested to face this predicament. This report presents
detailed information on Biodiesel derived from JETROPHA plants together with its emission
benefits.
BIO-DIESEL -- AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL FOR FUTURE
What is Bio-diesel?
 Biodiesel is a fuel that has much same characteristics as normal diesel oil, but as
opposed to diesel it is not derived from petroleum but t is derived from the oils and fats
of plants and waste restaurant greases.
 A substitute for or an additive to diesel fuel that An alternative fuel that requires no
engine modifications and provides power similar to conventional diesel fuel.
 A biodegradable transportation fuel that contributes no net carbon dioxide or sulfur to
the atmosphere, and is low in particulate emissions
Jetropha curca:
Various low value vegetable oils, which are not suitable for human consumption, can be
used for the purpose of production of bio-diesel. Non-edible oils like Jatropha, Pongamia,
Argemone, Mohua, Castor, Salvadora, etc. all can be used for the production of bio-diesel.
However, Jatropha stands authentic in our country.
Why Jatropha?
• The plant is a small bush, grows fast and starts yielding from 2nd year itself.
Productivity stabilizes in 7-8 years. Economic life can be up to 40 years also if cultured
and maintained well.
• Highly adaptable to various agro climatic conditions. Can thrive well even in adverse
soil conditions, hot and dry ecosystem.
• Wastelands with gravel / stones, undulated lands can also be utilized. `
• Can be a profitable in sub marginal dry lands.
• Not browsed by cattle
Additional assets of jetropha:
Jatropha oil can be used for soap production and cosmetics production in rural areas
and all parts of the plant have traditional medicinal uses (both human and veterinary
purposes) that are being scientifically investigated. The oil is a strong purgative, widely used as
an antiseptic for cough, skin diseases, and as a pain reliever from rheumatism. Jatropha latex
can heal wounds and also has anti-microbial properties.
 DRY JETROPHA SEEDS KOMET TYPE OIL EXPELLER

EXTRACTION OF OIL FROM JETROPHA SEEDS:S

There are two ways to extract oil from seeds.
1. extraction by hand
2. extraction by employing expellers
Extraction by hand:
Jetropha seeds are being used conventionally for medical values.the squeezing of oil is
done using pressers empowered mechanically. Here dry seeds are collected and treated for
removal of dust and then introduced in the pressers namely ram press ,screw presser and so
on for oil squeezing.
Employment of expellers:
In recent years oil expellers are developed to handle substantial amounts of seeds.there
are varios types of expellers namely Sayari-Expeller ,komet oil expeller and so on with light
differences in their way of dealing..
DEALING WITH JETROPHA :
Virtually anyone can make biodiesel by means of a very simple process, often
compared to brewing beer. We will try to show you the ropes of producing of biodiesel from
jetropha seeds through the process of Transesterification.
What is Transesterification ?
Vegetable oils as animal fats are triglycerides composed of three chains of fatty acids
bound by a glycerin molecule. In the conversion process triglycerideesters are turned into alkyl
esters (= biodiesel) using a catalyst (lye) and an alcohol reagent, e.g. methanol, which yields
methyl esters biodiesel and glycerin, a valuable industrial by-product.
The glycerin - the heavier phase - will sink to the bottom. Biodiesel - the lighter phase - floats
on top and can be separated, e.g. by decanters or centrifuges. The conversion process is called
transesterification.
 CH2COOR’ CH2OH R'COOR
| Catalyst | +
CHCOOR” 3 ROH CHOH R''COOR
| | +
CH2COOR”’ CH2OH R'''COOR
60 Kg 6.78 Kg 0.60Kg 6.5 Kg 58 Kg
Oil Alcohol NaOH Glycerin Biodiesel

CHARACTERISTICS OF BIODIESEL:
Biodiesel as automotive fuel has similar properties to petrodiesel and as such can be
directly used in existing diesel engines with no or minor modifications. It can be used alone or
mixed in any ratio with petrodiesel. The most common blend is B20, a mix of 20% biodiesel
with 80% petroleum diesel. Biodiesel has 11% oxygen by weight and essentially contains no
sulphur or aromatics
Facts about biodiesel
 Biodiesel is the first and only alternative fuel to have a complete evaluation of emission
results and potential health effects .
 Biodiesel is biodegradable.
 Biodiesel reduces air toxics by up to 90%.
 Biodiesel is safer to handle than diesel or gasoline.
 Reduces cancer-causing particulates by up to 94% compared to petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel contains no sulfur and emits no sulfur dioxide, the primary cause of acid rain.

PREPARATION OF BIODIESEL FROM SEEDOIL:

 

Toxicity of Biodiesel
Impacts on human health represent significant criteria as to the suitability of the fuel
for commercial applications. Health effects can be measured in terms of fuel toxicity to the
human body as well as health impacts due to exhaust emissions. Tests conducted by the Wil
Research Laboratories investigated the acute oral toxicity of pure biodiesel fuel as well as B20
in a single dose study on rats, which concluded that biodiesel is not a toxic and there is no
hazards anticipated from ingestion incidental to industrial exposure. The acute oral LD50
(lethal dose) is greater than 17.4-g/kg-body weight, which by comparison is far safer then even
table salt. According to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Human Health),
a 96-hr. lethal concentration of biodiesel for bluegills was greater than 1000 mg/l and this
aquatic toxicity is deemed as insignificant. Other related effects of biodiesel are given below:
Very mild human skin irritation. It is less than the irritation produced by 4% soap and water
solution.It is biodegradable. It degrades at least 4 to 5 times faster then conventional diesel fuel.
Biodiesel has a flash point of about 300 F well above conventional diesel fuel.
There is no tendency for the mutagenicity of exhaust gas to increase for a vehicle running on
biodiesel.
OPERATION & PERFORMANCE RESULTS
 Horsepower, fuel economy and torque are similar to those of conventional diesel fuel
engines.
 No engine modification required when used in compression ignition engines.

PERFORMANCE:
Brake Thermal Efficiency
The variation of brake thermal output is shown in the graph for both conventional diesel
and biodiesel the brake thermal efficiency of conventional diesel is 30.3 % where as for bio-
diesel is 29%. The bio-diesel has lower viscosity and density than Jatropha oil but higher than
conventional diesel. Lower the viscosity results in improved atomization, fuel vaporization and
combustion. In addition, the ignition delay is closer to that of diesel with bio-diesel due to its
high Cetane rating.
 1.6.1.2

Volumetric Efficiency
The variation of volumetric efficiency is due to the higher temperature of the retained
exhaust, which will preheat the incoming fresh air and lowers volumetric efficiency.
Exhaust gas temperature of biodiesel is higher than conventional diesel which is shown in the
below graph. The maximum exhaust temperature for conventional diesel is 402▫C where as for
bio-diesel is 415▫C. The reduction in exhaust gas temperature is due to the higher latent heat of
vaporization of methanol.

Exhaust Emissions:
The variation in smoke emission with power output is shown in the below graph. The
smoke level with diesel is 3.8 BSU at maximum power. With bio-diesel the smoke level is found
to be 4 BSU.
The HC concentration found in the exhaust is shown in the below graph. The HC
emission is 100 ppm for conventional diesel and 110 ppm with bio-diesel. CO emission level is
also higher for biodiesel compared to conventional diesel. The lower brake thermal efficiency
and calorific value of bio-diesel has lead to the injection of higher quantities of fuel for same
power output compared to diesel. The nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions are low compared to
standard diesel due to lowered premixed burning rate following delay period. This is due to
lower entrainment and fuel air mixing rates. The NO level for bio-diesel is higher than normal
mode and is lower than diesel values.
Combustions Parameters:
The variation of ignition delay is shown in the below graph. Biodiesel shows longer
ignition delay as compared to diesel due to low Cetane number. It is just 10▫ CA for biodiesel
which is due to the cooling effect produced due to methanol as it vaporizes resulting in
increased ignition delay. The higher viscosities, poor atomization, mixture preparation with air
are few reasons for ignition delay.
The combustion duration increases with rise in power output with all fuels due to
increase in quantity of fuel injected. It is comparatively higher than conventional diesel. The
increase in combustion duration of biodiesel is only due to the slow combustion of the injected
fuel.
ADVANTAGES OF BIODIESEL
 The lifecycle production and use of biodiesel produces approximately 80% less carbon
dioxide emissions, and almost 100% less sulphur dioxide.
 Combustion of biodiesel alone produces over a 90% reduction in total unburned
hydrocarbons, and a 75-90% reduction in aromatic hydrocarbons.
 Biodiesel further provides significant reductions in particulates and carbon monoxide
than conventional diesel fuel.
 Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel
engine.
 Needs no change in refueling infrastructures and spare part inventories.
 Neat biodiesel fuel is non-toxic and biodegradable
DISADVANTAGES OF BIODIESEL
o Quality of biodiesel depends on the blend thus quality can be tampered.
 o There may be problems of winter operatibility.
o Spills of biodiesel can decolorize any painted surface if left for long.
o Neat biodiesel demands compatible elastomers (hoses, gaskets, etc.)
o Biodiesel has excellent solvent properties. Any deposits in the filters and in the
delivery systems may be dissolved by biodiesel and result in need for replacement
of the filters.
o
CONCLUSION:
So the need of the hour is an alternative fuel which further does not bother mankind on
health and cleanliness and thanks toBiodiesel for it has all the assets . The use of biodiesel in a
conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon
monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. . While the country
is short of petroleum reserve, it has the asset of large arable land as well as good climatic
conditions (tropical) with adequate rainfall in large parts of the area to account for large crop
production each year..so breaking the poverty cycle the jetropha cultivation can reduce the
concentrations of the icious circle of erosion, soil deterioration thereby improving the
livelihood of many more..so there is a large scope for a vibrant development on this road in our
country. So there is a bright future for this alternative fuel. Let our India take initiative with a
mission "GREENING THE EARTH.... EARNING THE RESOURCES FOR RURAL
MASSES" as we are committed to changed the desert destiny into gold mine and uplifts the
standard of life of rural farmers.
REFERENCES:
1. www.jetropha.org
2.www.biodieseltechnologiesindia.com
3.www.biodiesel.com
4.www.deccanherald.com