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Four types of fuels blended with diesel in scaling proportion were used in a diesel engine to generate 13 different soot samples. The samples were characterised for their thermal-induced oxidation process with DSC and TGA from which the mass loss during each of three phases and 6 critical temperatures was obtained per sample. With the same samples, soot chemical structure was characterised by Raman, XPS and TEM. This analysis provided information on different carbon chemical structures, O/C ratio on the sample surface, and nanostructure (fringe length and tortuosity). It was observed that generally for oxygenated fuel blends, the soot samples are more reactive, have more O functional groups on the carbon layer edge plane and have smaller polyaromatic layer size than reference diesel soots, while aromatic fuel blends show the opposite trends. However, the trend was not distinctive for all the samples analysed. Nevertheless, the two groups of data are highly correlated which implies that the chemical structure is the underlying reason dominating the soot reactivity. Specifically, the soot samples with more O functional groups and/or C–C bonds on the edge plane, are more reactive, they lose more mass at the lower temperature range and require lower temperature to initiate oxidation.

This investigation explored engine performance, combustion and exhaust emissions with a new series of fuels for compression ignition engine. Three blends were formulated using diesel, tea tree oil and diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DGM). Low grade tea tree oil is considered as waste, which was used as fuel in this investigation. DGM was blended with tea tree oil and diesel as an additive for its high oxygen content and cetane number. Diesel was chosen for comparison purposes. The three blends examined in this study were, 70-30-0, 70-20-10 and 70-10-20 in ratios of diesel-tea tree oil-DGM. A six-cylinder, four-stroke, turbocharged diesel engine was used in this experiment. Four different loads of 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% and 1500 revolutions per minute (rpm) were selected for the experiments. Engine performance parameters like efficiency, power, mean effective pressure and specific fuel consumption were considered. In-cylinder pressure, the rate of heat release, peak and boost pressure were considered for combustion parameters. Carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and particulate number (PN) were considered for emission parameters. A maximum of 70% PM, 54% PN and 33% CO reductions were observed with three blends. However, 16% higher NOx emissions were observed with the blends.

Diesel emissions contain high levels of particulate matter (PM) which can have a severe effect on the airways. Diesel PM can be effectively reduced with the substitution of diesel fuel with a biofuel such as vegetable oil. Unfortunately, very little is known about the cellular effects of these alternative diesel emissions on the airways. The aim of this study was to test whether coconut oil substitution in diesel fuel reduces the adverse effect of diesel emission exposure on human bronchial epithelial cells. Human bronchial epithelial cells were cultured at air-liquid interface for 7 days and exposed to diesel engine emissions from conventional diesel fuel or diesel fuel blended with raw coconut oil at low (10%), moderate (15%) and high (20%) proportions. Cell viability, inflammation, antioxidant production and xenobiotic metabolism were measured. Compared to conventional diesel, low fractional coconut oil substitution (10% and 15%) reduced inflammation and increased antioxidant expression, whereas higher fractional coconut oil (20%) reduced cell viability and increased inflammation. Therefore, cellular responses after exposure to alternative diesel emission are dependent on fuel composition.

The share of biofuels in the fuel market has increased over the last several decades. This is related to their potential to reduce the emissions including particulate matter. It has been frequently reported that the fuel oxygen content is the main reason for the reduction in particulate matter emissions. To understand the effect of fuel oxygen content on morphology and nanostructure characteristics of soot particles, different fuels such as diesel, coconut biodiesel and triacetin were tested in a diesel engine with various mixing proportions. The fuel blending was done in such a way that overall oxygen content of fuel was kept in range of 0% to 14% (wt.%). The soot particles were sampled from the engine exhaust system and analysed with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at low and high spatial resolution. The TEM images were post-processed with the help of an in-house developed image analysis program to determine the morphology and nanostructure characteristics. The results show that oxygenated fuel blends emit smaller sized soot particles forming compact aggregates. The investigation of the internal structure of soot particles show disordered arrangement of graphene layers for fuels up to 11.01% fuel oxygen content (pure biodiesel); however, the opposite trend was observed for fuel blends with triacetin which could be related to the presence of oxygen in a different chemical functional group.

This study reports on a turbo-charged diesel engine performance, combustion and exhaust emissions when fuelled with three non-edible biodiesel blends, a neat waste cooking biodiesel (WBD100) and a neat reference diesel (D100). Waste cooking biodiesel was chosen as the non-edible biodiesel for its availability and low cost. Diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DGM) was introduced as an additive owing to its superior ignitability and high oxygen content. The three blends tested in this investigation were 70/30/0, 70/20/10 and 70/10/20 in proportions of diesel/waste cooking biodiesel/DGM. In all cases, a commercial diesel was taken as the reference fuel for comparative discussion about parameters of the engine performance, combustion and exhaust emissions. A fully-instrumented, 4-stroke, 6-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine was utilised for the experiments. Without significantly deteriorating engine performance, the three biodiesel blends and WBD100 reduced both particulate matter (PM) and particulate number (PN) emissions remarkably with the expected increase of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions.

Essential oils are mostly used in aromatherapy and their popularity has grown rapidly for the last decade. However, the industry has a substantial low-value waste stream, because downstream industries require therapeutic-grade oil. These waste stream oils can be used in the transport and agricultural sectors. This study investigated the influence of various essential oil blends on the emission characteristics of a multi-cylinder diesel engine. Orange, eucalyptus and tea tree oil were blended with diesel at 5% and 10% by volume, neat diesel and a 10% waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blend were also tested for comparison. The major constituents of orange oil and eucalyptus oil are limonene and 1,8-cineole respectively, and the main constituents of tea tree oil are terpinen-4-ol, γ-terpinene and α-terpinene. Orange oil contains negligible amounts of oxygen, whereas eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil contain 8.4% and 5.4% respectively. Compared to neat diesel, all the essential oil blends exhibited similar or slightly higher density, similar heating value, lower viscosity, flash point, and cetane number, and higher surface tension. However, only orange oil and eucalyptus oil blends exhibited oxidation stability above the minimum standards. Interestingly, blending eucalyptus oil increased the oxidation stability of diesel. Tea tree oil blends emitted the most carbon monoxide (CO) while orange oil and eucalyptus oil blends emitted the least CO and nitrogen oxide (NOX). Although eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil blends contain similar levels of oxygen, they exhibited opposite NOX emission trends, which might be attributed to the dissimilar and complex bonding of oxygen molecules into the structures. Particle number emission of essential oils were load dependent, however, all essential oil belnds emitted higher particulate mass at all loads.

Particle emission characteristics and engine performance were investigated from an auxiliary, heavy duty, six-cylinder, turbocharged and after-cooled diesel engine with a common rail injection system using spiked fuels with different combinations of sulphur (S) and vanadium (V) spiking. The effect of fuel S content on both particle number (PN) and mass (PM) was clearly observed in this study. Higher PN and PM were observed for fuels with higher S contents at all engine load conditions. This study also found a correlation between fuel S content and nucleation mode particle number concentration which have more harmful impact on human health than larger particles. The highest PN and PM were observed at partial load conditions. In addition, S in fuel resulted in higher viscosity of spiked fuels, which led to lower engine blow-by. Fuel V content was observed in this study, evidencing that it had no clear effect on engine performance and emissions. Increased engine load also resulted in higher engine blow-by. The lower peak of in-cylinder pressure observed at both pre-mixed and diffusion combustion phases with the spiked fuels may be associated with the lower energy content in the fuel blends compared to diesel fuel.

Light-duty diesel vehicles contribute significantly to urban air pollution. Laboratory-based standard driving test cycles do not take into account external driving factors, which greatly impact the vehicle emissions compared to the real-world driving emission (RDE) measurements. This results in higher emission levels obtained by RDE tests, compared to the standard approaches. In the current study, an RDE measurement campaign has been conducted in Brisbane city traffic using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS). Thirty drivers with a wide variety of driving experiences participated using a Hyundai iLoad van in a custom test route. RDEs and driving parameters were recorded during each trip. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to investigate the relationship between driving dynamics and vehicle emissions. Also, the impact of different trips, driving time, and driving experience on driving behaviour and emissions. Route familiarity, traffic density, and driving experience have a strong impact on driving behaviour and emissions. The driver's response to changing traffic, unknown routes, and vehicles significantly vary among different drivers which results in a high volume of transient events (frequent acceleration and deceleration). Transient events are very common in city driving which has a strong correlation to vehicle emissions.

This study investigates the effect of engine temperature during cold start and hot start engine operation on particulate matter emissions and engine performance parameters. In addition to a fundamental study on cold start operation and the effect of lubricating oil during combustion, this research introduces important knowledge about regulated particulate number emissions and particulate size distribution during cold start, which is an emerging area in the literature. A further aspect of this work is to introduce waste lubricating oil as a fuel. By using diesel and two blends of diesel with 1 and 5% waste lubricating oil in a 6-cylinder turbocharged engine on a cold start custom test, this investigation studied particle number (PN), friction losses and combustion instability with diesel and waste lubricating oil fuel blends. In order to understand and explain the results the following were also studied: particle size distribution and median diameter, engine oil, coolant and exhaust gas temperatures, start of injection, friction mean effective pressure (FMEP), mechanical efficiency, coefficient of variation (CoV) of engine speed, CoV of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and maximum rate of pressure rise were also studied. The results showed that during cold start the increase in engine temperature was associated with an increase in PN and size of particles, and a decrease in FMEP and maximum rate of pressure rise. Compared to a warmed up engine, during cold start, PN, start of injection and mechanical efficiency were lower; while FMEP, CoV of IMEP and maximum rate of pressure rise were higher. Adding 5% waste lubricating oil to the fuel was associated with a decrease in PN (during cold start), decreased particle size, maximum rate of pressure rise and CoV of IMEP and was associated with an increase in PN and nucleation mode particles (during hot start) and FMEP.

Using a six-cylinder turbocharged common rail compression ignition engine, this study investigated the effect of oxygenated fuels on transient and steady-state performance. This paper considers the effect of oxygenated fuels on both cold- and hot-start operation. A range of fuel oxygen contents between 0% and 13.57% was derived from diesel, waste cooking biodiesel and two other blends, containing triacetin as a fuel additive. A custom test was designed to investigate engine performance parameters using acceleration, load increase and steady-state modes of operation. For each fuel, the cold-start test was conducted after an overnight engine-off time. In this study, different parameters related to engine performance were studied, such as engine coolant and lubricant temperatures and their rise rate, boost pressure, injected fuel, turbocharger lag, engine speed and torque, start of injection, maximum in-cylinder pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, cyclic variability, FMEP, mechanical and thermal efficiencies, and BSFC. In comparison with hot-start, the cold-start results indicated a higher injected fuel, indicated torque, maximum in-cylinder pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, FMEP, BSFC and CoV of IMEP, and a lower SOI, ME and BTE. During cold-start, using oxygenated fuels, instead of diesel, resulted in a lower rate of lubricant temperature rise and a higher BSFC, while decreasing the FMEP. Using oxygenated fuels, instead of diesel, during the idle and transient modes resulted in lower indicated torque and maximum in-cylinder pressure under cold-start whilst, under hot-start, it resulted in higher indicated torque and maximum in-cylinder pressure, because during hot-start, the fuel oxygen is significantly influential in torque build-up during turbocharger lag. While, during cold-start there are some other influential factors. In addition, oxygenated fuels—compared to diesel—experienced higher CoV of IMEP during cold-start while, during hot-start, they had lower values.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Rising concerns over environmental and health issues of internal combustion engines, along with growing energy demands, have motivated investigation into alternative fuels derived from biomasses, such as biodiesel. Investigating engine and exhaust emission behaviour of such alternative fuels is vital in order to assess suitability for further utilisation. Since many parameters are relevant, an effective multivariate analysis tool is required to identify the underlying factors that affect the engine performance and exhaust emissions. This study utilises principal component analysis (PCA) to present a comprehensive correlation of various engine performance and emission parameters in a compression ignition engine using diesel, biodiesel and triacetin. The results show that structure-borne acoustic emission is strongly correlated with engine parameters. Brake specific NOx, primary particle diameter and fringe length increases by increasing the rate of pressure rise. Longer ignition delay and higher engine speeds can increase the nucleation particle emissions. Higher air-fuel equivalence ratio can increase the oxidative potential of the soot by increasing fringe distance and tortuosity. The availability of oxygen in the cylinder, from the intake air or fuel, can increase soot aggregate compactness. Fuel oxygen content reduces particle mass and particle number in the accumulation mode; however, they increase the proportion of oxygenated organic species. PCA results for particle chemical and physical characteristics show that soot particles reactivity increases with fuel oxygen content.

Waste management cost for Australia is increasing every year, and thus, it is important to find alternative ways to use the waste. For example, essential oil has a significant waste stream that can be utilized in vehicles of their producers. However, some of the essential oils contain oxygen which considerably affects engine performance, emission, and combustion characteristics of diesel engines. Thus, this research paper will try to evaluate the essential oils as a replacement of diesel fuel to operate a multicylider diesel engine. For this study, two essential oils are selected which contain different oxygenated functional groups, tea tree oil (5.4% oxygen) and eucalyptus oil (8.4% oxygen), with an aim to evaluate the effect of these functional groups on engine performance and emission parameters. These oils were blended with neat diesel (0% oxygen) to obtain a blend cotaining 2.2% oxygen by weight. The blends produced similar brake power; however, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased for eucalyptus oil blends (2.4–3.7%) and tea tree oil blends (3.9–5.3%). Essential oil–diesel blends resulted in less CO and increased NOX emission, produced similar peak pressure, and indicated mean effective pressure. The results then lead to the conclusion that oxygenated essential oils can have a role to reduce dependency of agricultural sector on diesel in the near future.

Microalgae's potential as a third generation biofuel has attracted recent attention. Two key methods for obtaining biofuel from microalgae are compared and contrasted, namely solvent extraction followed by transesterification, producing Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) biodiesel, and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to producing biocrude. The resulting differences in physicochemical characteristics affect engine performance and emissions as well as engine selection. Most microalgae engine research has been conducted on high speed diesel engines to investigate the performance and exhaust emissions of FAME whereas the HTL literature has mostly presumed biocrude would be upgraded for similar engines. However, growing awareness of the significant contribution of shipping emissions to public health brings into focus alternatives to heavy fuel oil (HFO) for low speed diesel (marine) engines. Such engines are thermodynamically very similar to high speed diesel engines but have the economic advantage that they can use low cost, high density fuels such as HFO/HTL. Microalgae FAME contains 10.5–11% (wt) oxygen and 36.2–39.2 MJ/kg calorific value, (10–15% lower than for petroleum diesel). High speed diesel engines tests using microalgae FAME generally decrease particulate emissions with a small penalty in engine power owing to the high oxygen content and lower Higher Heating Value (HHV). Conversely, biocrude obtained by HTL from green freshwater microalgae contained 10–11% (wt) oxygen, 4–8% (wt) nitrogen and 32–35 MJ/kg calorific value (20–27% lower than for petroleum diesel). HTL biocrude would be expected to reduce emissions for low speed marine diesel engines compared to HFO, especially soot emissions due to their very low sulphur content, although NOx emissions may increase. HTL biocrude may reduce the engine performance (output power) compared to HFO due to the higher oxygen content and lower HHV. This review’ aim is to compare microalgae FAME and HTL biocrude and their suitability for diesel engines regarding engine performance and emissions.

In the transportation sector, the share of biofuels such as biodiesel is increasing and it is known that such fuels significantly affect NOx emissions. In addition to NOx emission from diesel engines, which is a significant challenge to vehicle manufacturers in the most recent emissions regulation (Euro 6.2), this study investigates NO2 which is a toxic emission that is currently unregulated but is a focus to be regulated in the next regulation (Euro 7). This manuscript studies how the increasing share of biofuels affects the NO2, NOx, and NO2/NOx ratio during cold-start (in which the after-treatment systems are not well-effective and mostly happens in urban areas). Using a turbocharged cummins diesel engine (with common-rail system) fueled with diesel and biofuel derived from coconut (10 and 20% blending ratio), this study divides the engine warm-up period into 7 stages and investigates official cold- and hot-operation periods in addition to some intermediate stages that are not defined as cold in the regulation and also cannot be considered as hot-operation. Engine coolant, lubricating oil and exhaust temperatures, injection timing, cylinder pressure, and rate of heat release data were used to explain the observed trends. Results showed that cold-operation NOx, NO2, and NO2/NOx ratio were 31–60%, 1.14–2.42 times, and 3–8% higher than the hot-operation, respectively. In most stages, NO2 and the NO2/NOx ratio with diesel had the lowest value and they increased with an increase of biofuel in the blend. An injection strategy change significantly shifted the in-cylinder pressure and heat release diagrams, aligned with the sudden NOx drop during the engine warm-up. The adverse effect of cold-operation on NOx emissions increased with increasing biofuel share.

T{(NPI), 1999 #117}his research compares the effects of oxygenated fuels on engine blow-by during engine cold and hot start operation using a common rail, turbocharged diesel engine. Diesel, waste cooking biodiesel and a highly oxygenated additive, triacetin, were used to make a range of fuel oxygen contents (0–13.57%). This study investigated engine blow-by and its correlation with indicated, brake and friction power; and blow-by normalised by different parameters. Result showed that neat diesel produces higher blow-by during cold start than the oxygenated fuels. There was a strong correlation between blow-by and indicated power, and the fuel calorific value was identified as a leading factor. To further analyse the results, this study normalised the engine blow-by by power to reveal the other influences on engine blow-by. The result verified the strong influence of power. This study also furthered the analysis by normalising the blow-by data by exhaust flow rate, intake air flow rate and injected fuel flow rate. It was discovered that oxygenated fuels perform better between hot and cold start, when compared to diesel. The blow-by inhibited properties of oxygenated fuels, such as higher lubricity and viscosity may be the cause for better performance of oxygenated fuels during cold start.

The current work is an experimental investigation to examine the influence of biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil on engine performance and exhaust emissions. Experiments were conducted with three biodiesel blends at 20%, 40%, and 60% (by volume). A petroleum diesel fuel was used as a reference fuel. The primary purpose of this study was to observe both particulate matter (PM) and particle number (PN) emissions for the three biodiesel blends. Furthermore, the blow-by emissions of the biodiesel blends were also studied. All measurements were conducted in a six-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine with a high-pressure common rail injection system in compliance with a 13-Mode European Stationary Cycle (ESC).

This paper builds on previous work using surrogate fuel to investigate advanced internal combustion engine fuels. To date, a surrogate fuel of this nature has not been used for microalgae hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) biocrude. This research used five different chemical groups found in microalgae HTL biocrude to design a surrogate fuel. Those five chemical groups constitute around 65% (by weight) of a microalgae biocrude produced by HTL. Weight percentage of the microalgae HTL biocrude chemical compounds were used to design the surrogate fuel, which was miscible with diesel at all percentages. The engine experiments were conducted on a EURO IIIA turbocharged common-rail direct-injection six-cylinder diesel engine to test engine performance and emissions. Exhaust emissions, including particulate matter and other gaseous emissions, were measured with the surrogate fuel and a reference diesel fuel. Experimental results showed that without significantly deteriorating engine performance, lower particulate mass, particulate number and CO emissions were observed with a penalty in NOx emissions for all surrogate blends compared to those of the reference diesel.

As biofuels are increasingly represented in the fuel market, the use of these oxygenated fuels should be evaluated under various engine operating conditions, such as cold-start. However, to-date quantification has been mostly done under hot-start engine operation. By using a custom test designed for this study, a comparative investigation was performed on exhaust emissions during cold- and hot-start with diesel and three oxygenated fuels based on waste cooking biodiesel and triacetin. This study used a six-cylinder, turbocharged, after-cooled diesel engine with a common rail injection system. The results during cold-start with diesel showed lower NOx (up to 15.4%), PN (up to 48%), PM1 (up to 44%) and PM2.5 (up to 63%). However, the oxygenated fuels during cold-start showed a significant increase in NOx (up to 94%), PN (up to 27 times), PM1 (up to 7.3 times) and PM2.5 (up to 5 times) relative to hot-start. The use of oxygenated fuels instead of diesel during hot-start decreased the PN, PM2.5 and PM1 (up to 91%) while, during cold-start, it only decreased PM1 and PM2.5 at some engine operating modes and increased PN significantly up to 17 times. In both cold- and hot-start, the use of oxygenated fuels resulted in an increase in NOx emission. For cold-start this was up to 125%, for hot-start it was up to 13.9%. In comparison with hot-start, the use of oxygenated fuels during cold-start increased nucleation mode particles significantly, which are harmful. This should be taken into consideration, since cold-start operation is an inevitable part of the daily driving schedule for a significantly high portion of vehicles, especially in cities.

Owing to the increasing share of biofuels in combustion engines, use of these oxygenated fuels instead of diesel should be evaluated under different engine operating conditions. This paper studies the influence of oxygenated fuels on engine performance parameters under transient, compared to steady-state, operation on a six-cylinder, turbocharged, compression-ignition engine with a common rail injection system. The fuels used in this study were diesel, waste cooking biodiesel, and triacetin (as a highly oxygenated additive). A custom test was used to investigate different engine performance parameters during acceleration, load increase, and steady-state modes of operation. Additionally, a legislative transient cycle (NRTC), composed of many discrete transient modes, was used to study engine performance during a whole transient cycle. In this paper, different engine performance-related parameters were investigated, such as IMEP, BMEP, FMEP, turbocharger lag, air-to-fuel ratio, engine speed and torque, star...

Highlights • Gas phase emissions can be potentially as hazardous as the particle phase ones. • Gas phase diesel exhaust has a stronger inflammation effect on human lung cells. • Fuel oxygen content is negatively correlated to the gas phase OP. • Total VOC content is not correlated to the gas phase OP. • Idling produces emissions with the highest OP in the gas phase. Abstract The oxidative potential (OP) of the gas phase is an important and neglected aspect of environmental toxicity. Whilst prolonged exposure to particulate matter (PM) associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to lead to negative health effects, the potential for compounds in gas phase to cause similar effects is yet to be understood. In this study we describe: the significance of the gas phase OP generated through vehicle emissions; discuss the origin and evolution of species contributing to measured OP; and report on the impact of gas phase OP on human lung cells. The model aerosol for this study was exhaust emitted from a Euro III Common-rail diesel engine fuelled with different blends of diesel and biodiesel. The gas phase of these emissions was found to be potentially as hazardous as the particle phase. Fuel oxygen content was found to negatively correlate with the gas phase OP, and positively correlate with particle phase OP. This signifies a complex interaction between reactive species present in gas and particle phase. Furthermore, this interaction has an overarching effect on the OP of both particle and gas phase, and therefore the toxicity of combustion emissions.

This research studies the influence of oxygenated fuels on transient and steady-state engine performance and emissions using a fully instrumented, 6-cylinder, common rail turbocharged compression ignition engine. Beside diesel, the other tested fuels were based on waste cooking biodiesel (primary fuel) with triacetin (highly oxygenated additive). A custom test was designed for this study to investigate the engine performance and emissions during steady-state, load acceptance and acceleration operation modes. Furthermore, to study the engine performance and emissions during a whole transient cycle, a legislative cycle (NRTC), which contains numerous discrete transient modes, was utilised. In this paper, the turbocharger lag, engine power, NOx, PM, PN and PN size distribution were investigated. During NRTC the brake power, PM and PN decreased with fuel oxygen content. During steady-state operation, compared to diesel, the oxygenated fuels showed lower indicated power, while they showed higher values during acceleration and turbocharger lag. During acceleration and load increase modes, NOx, PM and PN peaked over the steady-state counterpart, also, the accumulation mode count median diameter moved toward the larger particle sizes. Increasing the fuel oxygen content increased the indicated specific NOx and PN maximum overshoot, while engine power, PM, PN and PM maximum overshoot decreased. Also, the accumulation mode count median diameter moved toward the smaller particle sizes.

The stability of biocrude produced from the liquefaction of sugarcane bagasse in ethanol was observed. The degradation characteristics of biocrude and reference fuels, such as diesel, waste cooking oil biodiesel, and their blends, were studied under three different storage environments and temperatures over 24 weeks, namely, hot (43 °C), cold (4 °C), and outdoor (variable temperature) conditions. Higher Heating Values of biocrude had only small changes for all storage conditions, and this was similar to the behavior of the reference fuels. Density changes were significant in hot conditions for biocrude oil compared with outdoor and cold conditions. The change in chemical composition reflects changes in densities. Upon different storage conditions, the chemical composition of waste cooking oil biodiesel and biocrude changed considerably over the time period, whereas diesel and biodiesel blend B20 remained relatively stable. The instability of the biocrude was mainly due to oxygenated compounds, especially ...

Exploration of sustainable fuels and their influence on reductions in diesel emissions are nowadays a challenge for the engine and fuel researchers. This study investigates the role of fuel-borne oxygen on engine performance and exhaust emissions with a special emphasis on diesel particulate and nitric oxide (NO) emissions. A number of oxygenated-blends were prepared with waste cooking biodiesel as a base oxygenated fuel. Triacetin, a derivative from transesterified biodiesel was chosen for its high oxygen content and superior fuel properties. The experimental campaign was conducted with a 6-cylinder, common rail turbocharged diesel engine equipped with highly precise instruments for nano and other size particles and other emissions. All experiments were performed in accordance with European Stationary Cycle (ESC 13-mode). A commercial diesel was chosen as a reference fuel with 0% oxygen and five other oxygenated blends having a range of 6.02–14.2% oxygen were prepared. The experimental results revealed that the oxygenated blends having higher a percentage of fuel-borne oxygen reduced particulate matter (PM), particle number (PN), unburned hydrocarbon (UBHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions to a significantly low level with a slight penalty of NO emissions. The main target of this study was to effectively utilise triacetin as an additive for waste cooking biodiesel and suppress emissions without deteriorating engine performance. The key finding of this investigation is the significant reductions in both particle mass and number emissions simultaneously without worsening engine performance with triacetin-biodiesel blends. Reductions in both particle mass and number emissions with a cost-effective additive would be a new dimension for the fuel and engine researchers to effectively use triacetin as an emission suppressor in the future.

Physico-chemical properties of microalgae biodiesel depend on the microalgae species and oil extraction method. Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) is a clear, colourless and viscous liquid as a plasticizer. It is used in the processing of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin and polymers. A new potential biofuel, hydrothermally liquefied microalgae bio-oil can contain nearly 11% (by mass) of DOP. This study investigated the feasibility of using up to 20% DOP blended in 80% diesel fuel (v/v) in an existing diesel engine, and assessed the performance and exhaust emissions. Despite reasonable differences in density, viscosity, surface tension, and boiling point, blends of DOP and diesel fuel were found to be entirely miscible and no separation was observed at any stage during prolonged miscibility tests. The engine test study found a slight decrease in peak cylinder pressure, brake, and indicated mean effective pressure, indicated power, brake power, and indicated and brake thermal efficiency with DOP blended fuels, where the specific fuel consumption increased. This is due to the presence of 16.4% oxygen in neat DOP, responsible for the relatively lower heating value, compared to that of diesel. The emission tests revealed a slight increase in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from DOP blended fuels. However, particulate matter (PM) emissions were lower from DOP blended fuels, although some inconsistency in particle number (PN) was present among different engine loads. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Rising pollution levels resulting from vehicular emissions and the depletion of petroleum-based fuels have left mankind in pursuit of alternatives. There are stringent regulations around the world to control the particulate matter (PM) emissions from internal combustion engines. To this end, researchers have been exploring different measures to reduce PM emissions such as using modern combustion techniques, after-treatment systems such as diesel particulate filter (DPF) and gasoline particulate filter (GPF), and alternative fuels. Alternative fuels such as biodiesel (derived from edible, nonedible, and waste resources), alcohol fuels (ethanol, n-butanol, and n-pentanol), and fuel additives have been investigated over the last decade. PM characterization and toxicity analysis is still growing as researchers are developing methodologies to reduce particle emissions using various approaches such as fuel modification and after-treatment devices. To address these aspects, this review paper studies the PM characteristics, health issues, PM physical and chemical properties, and the effect of alternative fuels such as biodiesel, alcohol fuels, and oxygenated additives on PM emissions from diesel engines. In addition, the correlation between physical and chemical properties of alternate fuels and the characteristics of PM emissions is explored.

Soot particles, mainly coming from fuel combustion, affect climate forcing through absorbing light and also result in adverse human health outcomes. Though biodiesel or additives blending with diesel was considered environmentally friendly, the understanding on absorbing and oxidative capacity of soot emitted from them are still unclear. The water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) content, surface chemical structure, light absorption and oxidative potential (OPDTT) of soot from biodiesel/diesel and chemicals/diesel blends were investigated utilizing total organic carbon analyzer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry and dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. The differences and correlations between soot properties were statistically analyzed. Chemicals/diesel blends soot owned significantly higher WSOC content, ratio of mass absorbing efficiency (MAE) in 250 and 365 nm (E2/E3), OPDTT, and higher surface carbonyl content. Coconut biodiesel/diesel blends soot contained evidently higher aromatic carbon–oxygen single bond (Ar_C–O) content, and higher MAE365. The individual comparison of biodiesel/diesel blends showed 20% coconut biodiesel blend owned the lowest WSOC, E2/E3 and OPDTT, while highest Ar_C–O and MAE365, representing strongest absorbing properties. Association analysis showed OPDTT was significantly positively correlated with WSOC. Further, the evident negative correlation between MAE365 and OPDTT was observed. Our results showed coconut biodiesel/diesel blends soot induced lower levels of oxidative potential, whereas absorption of light was higher, which have far reaching consequences on climate forcing. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the balance point between light-absorbing properties and oxidative potential, under the wide use of biodiesel.

Emissions from ships at berth are small compared to the total ship emissions; however, they are one of the main contributors to pollutants in the air of densely-populated areas, consequently heavily affecting public health. This is due to auxiliary marine engines being used to generate electric power and steam for heating and providing services. The present study has been conducted on an engine representative of a marine auxiliary, which was a heavy duty, six-cylinder, turbocharged and after-cooled engine with a high pressure common rail injection system. Engine performance and emission characterisations during cold start are the focus of this paper, since cold start is significantly influential. Three tested fuels were used, including the reference diesel and two IMO (International Maritime Organization) compliant spiked fuels. The research engine was operated at a constant speed and 25% load condition after 12 h cooled soak. Results show that during cold start, significant heat generated from combustion is used to heat the engine block, coolant and lubricant. During the first minute, compared to the second minute, emissions of particle number (PN), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and nitrogen oxides (NO x) were approximately 10, 4, 2 and 1.5 times higher, respectively. The engine control unit (ECU) plays a vital role in reducing engine emissions by changing the engine injection strategy based on the engine coolant temperature. IMO-compliant fuels, which were higher viscosity fuels associated with high sulphur content, resulted in an engine emission increase during cold start. It should be taken into account that auxiliary marine diesel engines, working at partial load conditions during cold start, contribute considerably to emissions in coastal areas. It demonstrates a need to implement practical measures, such as engine pre-heating, to obtain both environmental and public health advantages in coastal areas.

Essential oils are obtained from the non-fatty parts of a plant, such as the roots, bark, leaves, stems and flowers. These oils are mainly used in the natural medicine sector due to claimed health benefits, as well as the flavouring and fragrance sector, and the market has experienced rapid growth in recent years. The high quality required of the products leads to a very significant low-value waste stream, which is available for use in the transport and agricultural sectors. The use of essential oils in the compression ignition (CI) engine is a concept that has not yet been explored thoroughly. This paper analyses the available literature on the effect of essential oils and their blends on the performance, combustion characteristics and emission parameters of the CI engine. Regarding their properties, essential oils have similar properties to neat diesel. Engine performance using several essential oils and their blends improve brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and reduce brake-specific fuel consumption. A significant reduction in particulate matter (PM) emissions along with reduced hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions has been reported in the literature. Furthermore, essential oils and their blends increase peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR) compared to neat diesel and biodiesel. However, most of the literature reported increased emissions of nitrogen oxides attributed to the lower cetane number and higher oxygen content. Due to having a low cetane number, essential oils can be used in CI engines by blending with either diesel or biodiesel. The rapid growth of the essential oil sector increases the likelihood of their utilization in CI engines in the future.

Introduction Diesel emissions have a high level of particulate matter which can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the airways. A strategy to reduce diesel particulate matter and the associated adverse effects is the use of biodiesels and fuel additives. However, very little is known about the biological effects of these alternative emissions. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of biodiesel and triacetin/biodiesel emissions on primary human bronchial epithelial cells (pHBECs) compared to diesel emissions. Methods pHBECs were exposed to diesel, biodiesel (20%, 50% and 100% biodiesel derived from coconut oil) and triacetin/biodiesel (4% and 10% triacetin) emissions for 30 min at air-liquid interface. Cell viability (cellular metabolism, cell death, CASP3 mRNA expression and BCL2 mRNA expression), inflammation (IL-8 and IL-6 secretion), antioxidant production (HO-1 mRNA expression) and xenobiotic metabolism (CYP1a1 mRNA expression) were measured. Results Biodiesel emissions (B50) reduced cell viability, and increased oxidative stress. Triacetin/biodiesel emissions (B90) decreased cell viability and increased antioxidant production, inflammation and xenobiotic metabolism. Biodiesel emissions (B100) reduced cell viability, and increased IL-8 secretion and xenobiotic metabolism. Conclusions Biodiesel substitution in diesel fuel and triacetin substitution in biodiesel can increase the adverse effects of diesel emissions of pHBECs. Further studies of the effect of these diesel fuel alternatives on pHBECs are required.

NOx emissions from diesel engines are a concern from both environmental and health perspectives. Recently this attention has targeted cold-start emissions highlighting that emission after-treatment systems are not effective in this period. Using a 6-cylinder, turbocharged, common-rail diesel engine, the current research investigates NOx emissions during cold-start using different engine performance parameters. In addition, it studies the influence of waste lubricating oil on NOx emissions introducing it as a fuel additive (1 and 5% by volume). To interpret the NOx formation, this study evaluates different parameters: exhaust gas temperature, engine oil temperature, engine coolant temperature, start of injection/combustion, in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate, maximum in-cylinder pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise. This study clarified how cold-start NOx increases as the engine is warming up while in general cold-start NOx is higher than hot-start. Results showed that in comparison with warmed up condition, during cold-start NOx, maximum in-cylinder pressure and maximum rate of pressure rise were higher; while start of injection, start of combustion and ignition delay were lower. During cold-start increased engine temperature was associated with decreasing maximum rate of pressure rise and peak apparent heat release rate. During cold-start NOx increased with temperature and it dropped sharply due to the delayed start of injection. This study also showed that using waste lubricating oil decreased NOx and maximum rate of pressure rise; and increased maximum in-cylinder pressure. NOx had a direct correlation with the maximum rate of pressure rise; and an inverse correlation with the maximum in-cylinder pressure.

In the present study, Mg0.25Fe2.75O4 nanocatalyst for reduction of emissions in diesel engine was fabricated via urea-nitrate combustion method. The effect of urea concentrations as fuel on its structural characteristics and Oxygen Storage Capacity (OSC) was thoroughly investigated. The results of various characterization analyses showed that fuel ratio significantly affects crystallinity, textural, size and morphology of particles, and thermal stability of nanocatalyst. These are mainly due to increase in combustion temperature and duration. The Mg0.25Fe2.75O4 fabricated at fuel ratio of 2.5 times of stoichiometric ratio exhibited the lowest weight loss/high crystallinity (less than 1 wt %) and lowest lattice parameter (8.346 A) which are related to well diffusion of Mg cations into ferric oxide as host. The Raman and FTIR analyses showed the existence of strong peaks correspond to formation of tetrahedral and octahedral sublattices and also the formation of spinel structure of MgFe2O4. The reduction in crystalline size, obtained with higher amount of fuel, resulted in a higher surface area (23.6 m2/g), higher pore volume (0.0950 cc/g) and proper particle size distribution (25–35 nm). These cause a better catalytic activity. Moreover, the enhanced OSC (8661 μmol H2/g) along with shifting the reduction peaks to lower temperatures, as major attributes in relation to catalytic technologies, confirmed the strong effect of fuel ratio of 2.5 on fabrication process of Mg0.25Fe2.75O4. Finally, the highest reduction in HC (33%), CO (14-17%), PM1.0 (16%), and CO2 (12%) achieved, using the optimum sample-mixed diesel fuel at 90 ppm.

This study investigates the morphology, microstructure and surface composition of Diesel engine exhaust particles. The state of agglomeration, the primary particle size and the fractal dimension of exhaust particles from petroleum Diesel (petrodiesel) and biodiesel blends from microalgae, cotton seed and waste cooking oil were investigated by means of high resolution transmission electron microscopy. With primary particle diameters between 12-19 nm, biodiesel blend primary particles are found to be smaller than petrodiesel ones (21±2 nm). Also it was found that soot agglomerates from biodiesels are more compact and spherical, as their fractal dimensions are higher, e.g. 2.2±0.1 for 50% algae biodiesel compared to 1.7±0.1 for petrodiesel. In addition, analysis of the chemical composition by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed an up to a factor of two increased oxygen content on the primary particle surface for biodiesel. The length, curvature and distance of graphene layers were measured showing a greater structural disorder for biodiesel with shorter fringes of higher tortuosity. This change in carbon chemistry may reflect the higher oxygen content of biofuels. Overall, it seems that the oxygen content in the fuels is the underlying reason for the observed morphological change in the resulting soot particles.

Nitrogen (N) content in algae hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) biocrude is high (5–8 wt%) and generally presumed to result in high NOx emissions during combustion. However, to our knowledge a very limited previous work on diesel engine performance and emissions of N-containing fuels. In order to investigate this issue, pyridine, an N-heterocyclic compound commonly found in algae biocrude, was blended with diesel fuel. This study investigated the influence of N in fuels, using a surrogate fuel to simulate algal biocrude, to determine the combustion behavior and emissions profile of an industrial multi-cylinder diesel engine. The presence of N in the fuel affected its physical properties. Density was slightly higher than neat diesel, while the viscosity, the flash point and the higher heating value (HHV) of the N-containing fuels reduced with increasing N content. The flash point of N-containing fuels were reduced, which affects the storage and transportation of the fuel. The engine load between 25 and 75% was observed to have an effect on engine performance parameters. Compared to diesel, N-containing fuels emitted both lower carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC). Increasing nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions were observed with increasing N content in the fuels. At 50% and 75% loads, NOx emissions from N0.1 (0.1 wt% N), N0.5 (0.5 wt% N) and N2 (2 wt% N) were lower than for EUROIII. Particulate matter (PM) was lower for N-containing fuels compared to diesel fuel except for N0.1.

Metallic composition of diesel particulate matter, even though a relatively small proportion of total mass, can reveal important information regarding engine conditions, fuel/lubricating oil characteristics and for health impacts. In this study, a detailed investigation into the metallic elemental composition at different particle diameter sizes has been undertaken. A bivariate statistical analysis was performed in order to investigate the correlation between the metallic element, measured engine performance and engine emission variables. Major sources of metallic elements in the emitted particles are considered in this study, including the fuel and lubricating oil compositions, engine wear emissions and metal-containing dust in the ambient air. Metallic solid ultrafine-particles (Dp 100 nm). Calculated correlation matrices show a clear effect of engine load conditions and fuel S contents on particle number and mass emissions.

Over the years, oxygenated fuels such as biodiesel and alcohol fuels have been useful in reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions of diesel engines. The presence of oxygen in the fuel impacts the soot oxidation process and thus the morphology and nanostructural characteristics of soot particles change. The nanostructure characteristics of soot particles hold an importance for their oxidation reactivity and toxicity. Higher reactivity and exposure of soot particles to oxygen will affect the regeneration and filtration efficiency of diesel particulate filters. In this study, we investigate the impact of oxygen functional groups on morphology and nanostructure of soot particles by blending different types of essential oil in diesel. The test fuels were prepared by mixing orange oil, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil and coconut biodiesel to keep an overall oxygen content of 0 and 2.2%. Transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate the physical changes in the nanostructure of soot particles. The primary particle diameter decreases, and fractal dimension of soot aggregates increases for oxygenated fuels. Microscopy reveals that the arrangement of carbon lamellae within the soot particles changes significantly with use of oxygenated as observed by the changes in fringe length, fringe tortuosity and fringe separation distance. Lower fringe length, higher fringe tortuosity and fringe separation distance shows disordered arrangement of carbon layers with more possibility of oxygen attack. The different structural characteristics for oils having same oxygen content shows that formation and structure of soot particles strongly depend upon chemical structure and composition of the fuel.

There are tons of waste tyres produced each year globally. Production of oil from the waste tyre not only manages the wastes but also produces fuels for compression ignition engines. In this investigation, a novel approach developed by Green Distillation Technologies in Australia was used to convert whole end of life tyres (ELTs) into carbon, steel, and tyre oil. The physicochemical properties of the tyre oil are similar to diesel fuel, and the fuel is miscible with diesel in any blended ratio. An engine experiment was conducted on a EURO IIIA diesel engine. All experiments were performed at constant speed and four different engine loads. Two blends (10% and 20%) of tyre oil were compared to reference diesel fuel. Exhaust emissions, including gaseous emissions, particulate matter (PM) and particulate number (PN) were investigated. The results indicate simultaneous reductions in both diesel PM and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions with the tyre oil blends when compared to diesel. NOx emissions were reduced by approximately 30% with both blends with respect to diesel. The reduction in PM and PN emissions were in the range of 35–60% and 5–20%, respectively. Carbon monoxide (CO) were increased by ∼ 10% compared to the reference diesel except at quarter load. Insignificant change in brake power (BP), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) were observe with the tyre oil blends. The engine remained compliant with its EURO IIIA guidelines during the use of the tyre oil blends. Based on the engine performance and emission result, the tyre oil could be alternative to traditional diesel fuel.

Introduction: Diesel particulate matter can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the airways. A strategy to reduce adverse effects associated with particulate matter in diesel emissions is the use of biodiesels and fuel additives such as triacetin, but very little is known about the health effects of these alternative emissions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of biodiesel and triacetin/biodiesel emissions on primary human bronchial epithelial cells (pHBECs) in comparison to conventional diesel emissions. Methods: Primary HBECs were differentiated at air-liquid interface and exposed to diesel (D100), biodiesel (B20, B50 and B100: 20%, 50% and 100% biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil, respectively) and triacetin/biodiesel (B96 and B90: 4% and 10% triacetin in biodiesel, respectively) emissions for 30 minutes. Indicators of cell viability, inflammation, antioxidant production and xenobiotic metabolism were measured. Results: Biodiesel and triacetin substitution altered the particulate matter composition of the diesel emissions. B50, B90 and B100 significantly increased percentage cell death (75%, 60.9 and 49%, respectively). B50 and B90 significantly increased HO-1 mRNA expression (16.9-fold and 18.3-fold increase, respectively). B90 and B100 significantly increased IL-8 secretion (6.9-fold and 3-fold increase, respectively). Conclusions: Biodiesel fuels and fuel additives (triacetin) reduce particulate matter in diesel emissions, but have adverse effects on bronchial epithelial cell viability, metabolism and antioxidant production, compared to conventional diesel emissions. Further studies of the effect of diesel fuel alternatives on pHBECs are required.

Essential oils are derived from not-fatty parts of plants and are mostly used in aromatherapy, as well as cosmetics and perfume production. The essential oils market is growing rapidly due to their claimed health benefits. However, because only therapeutic grade oil is required in the medicinal sector, there is a substantial low-value waste stream of essential oils that can be used in the transportation and agricultural sectors. This study investigated the influence of orange, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil on engine performance and combustion characteristics of a multi-cylinder compression ignition engine. Orange, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil were blended with diesel at 10% by volume. For benchmarking, neat diesel and 10% waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blend were also tested. The selected fuels were used to conduct engine test runs with a constant engine speed (1500 RPM (revolutions per minute)) at four loads. As the load increased, frictional power losses decreased for all of the fuel samples and thus mechanical efficiency increased. At higher loads (75% and 100%), only orange oil-diesel blends produced comparable power to diesel and waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blends. Fuel consumption (brake and indicated) for the essential oil-diesel blends was higher when compared to base diesel and waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blends. Thermal efficiency for the essential oil-diesel blends was comparable to base diesel and waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blends. At higher loads, blow-by was lower for essential oil blends as compared to base diesel and waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blends. At 50% and 100% load, peak pressure was lower for all of the essential oil-diesel blends when compared to base diesel and waste cooking biodiesel-diesel blends. From the heat release rate curve, the essential oil-diesel blends ignition delay times were longer because the oils have lower cetane values. Overall, the low-value streams of these essential oils were found to be suitable for use in diesel engines at 10% blends by agricultural producers of these oils.

The disposal of waste rubber and scrap tyres is a significant issue globally; disposal into stockpiles and landfill poses a serious threat to the environment, in addition to creating ecological problems. Fuel production from tyre waste could form part of the solution to this global issue. Therefore, this paper studies the potential of fuels derived from waste tyres as alternatives to diesel. Production methods and the influence of reactor operating parameters (such as reactor temperature and catalyst type) on oil yield are outlined. These have a major effect on the performance and emission characteristics of diesel engines when using tyre derived fuels. In general, tyre derived fuels increase the brake specific fuel consumption and decrease the brake thermal efficiency. The majority of studies indicate that NOx emissions increase with waste tyre derived fuels; however, a few studies have reported the opposite trend. A similar increasing trend has been observed for CO and CO2 emissions. Although most studies reported an increase in HC emission owing to lower cetane number and higher density, some studies have reported reduced HC emissions. It has been found that the higher aromatic content in such fuels can lead to increased particulate matter emissions.

The objective of this study was to examine the hydrothermal liquefaction of sugarcane bagasse using ethanol and black liquor (BL) in a pilot scale. Combinations of co-solvents (ethanol/ water, ethanol/BL) were studied at various concentrations and reaction conditions. The maximum oil yield of 61% was achieved with a reaction temperature of 300 °C for 30 min and using pure BL as a solvent, while the highest higher heating value (HHV) was obtained from a 50:50 ethanol-BL mixture. The oils contained alcohols, esters, phenolic compounds, aromatics, and heterocyclics. The O/C and H/C ratios of the oil were comparable with traditional biodiesel and commercial diesel. Although this study showed there are some improvements to be made to improve the chemical composition, the approach has potential for large-scale production of a substitute for fossil-fuel-based diesel.

In the prospect of limited energy resources and climate change, effects of alternative biofuels on primary emissions are being extensively studied. Our two recent studies have shown that biodiesel fuel composition has a significant impact on primary particulate matter emissions. It was also shown that particulate matter caused by biodiesels was substantially different from the emissions due to petroleum diesel. Emissions appeared to have higher oxidative potential with the increase in oxygen content and decrease of carbon chain length and unsaturation levels of fuel molecules. Overall, both studies concluded that chemical composition of biodiesel is more important than its physical properties in controlling exhaust particle emissions. This suggests that the atmospheric aging processes, including secondary organic aerosol formation, of emissions from different fuels will be different as well. In this study, measurements were conducted on a modern common-rail diesel engine. To get more information on realistic properties of tested biodiesel particulate matter once they are released into the atmosphere, particulate matter was exposed to atmospheric oxidants, ozone and ultra-violet light; and the change in their properties was monitored for different biodiesel blends. Upon the exposure to oxidative agents, the chemical composition of the exhaust changes. It triggers the cascade of photochemical reactions resulting in the partitioning of semi-volatile compounds between the gas and particulate phase. In most of the cases, aging lead to the increase in volatility and oxidative potential, and the increment of change was mainly dependent on the chemical composition of fuels as the leading cause for the amount and the type of semi-volatile compounds present in the exhaust.

The current study investigates the opportunity of using Licella biofuel as a partly renewable fuel provided by Licella P/L. Hereafter this fuel will be referred to as Licella biofuel. The renewable component of the Licella biofuel was made from the hydrothermal conversion of Australian pinus radiata wood flour using Licella’s proprietary Cat-HTR™ technology. The diesel-soluble component of the hydrothermal product was extracted into road diesel to give a blended fuel containing approximately 30% renewable material with the balance from diesel. This was further blended with a regular diesel fuel (designated R0) to give fuels for testing containing 5%, 10% and 20% renewable fuel (designated R5, R10 and R20). Some of the key fuel properties were measured for R30 and compared with those of regular diesel fuel. The engine experiment was conducted on a four-cylinder turbocharged common rail direct injection diesel engine. All experiments were performed with a constant speed and five different engine loads. Exhaust emissions including particulate matter (PM) mass and numbers, nitric oxide (NO), total unburnt hydrocarbon (THC), carbon dioxide (CO2) and performance parameters including brake power (BP), indicated power (IP), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), mechanical efficiency (ME), brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) were investigated for all four blends (R0, R5, R10 and R20). Among other engine parameters, in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate (HRR) and pressure (P) versus volume (V) diagrams were also investigated for the four fuel blends.

In this study, the biodiesel properties and effects of blends of oil methyl ester petroleum diesel on a CI direct injection diesel engine is investigated. Blends were obtained from the marine dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii and waste cooking oil. The experiment was conducted using a four-cylinder, turbo-charged common rail direct injection diesel engine at four loads (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%). Three blends (10%, 20% and 50%) of microalgae oil methyl ester and a 20% blend of waste cooking oil methyl ester were compared to petroleum diesel. To establish suitability of the fuels for a CI engine, the effects of the three microalgae fuel blends at different engine loads were assessed by measuring engine performance, i.e. mean effective pressure (IMEP), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), in cylinder pressure, maximum pressure rise rate, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), heat release rate and gaseous emissions (NO, NOx,and unburned hydrocarbons (UHC)). Results were then compared to engine performance characteristics for operation with a 20% waste cooking oil/petroleum diesel blend and petroleum diesel. In addition, physical and chemical properties of the fuels were measured. Use of microalgae methyl ester reduced the instantaneous cylinder pressure and engine output torque, when compared to that of petroleum diesel, by a maximum of 4.5% at 50% blend at full throttle. The lower calorific value of the microalgae oil methyl ester blends increased the BSFC, which ultimately reduced the BTE by up to 4% at higher loads. Minor reductions of IMEP and BMEP were recorded for both the microalgae and the waste cooking oil methyl ester blends at low loads, with a maximum of 7% reduction at 75% load compared to petroleum diesel. Furthermore, compared to petroleum diesel, gaseous emissions of NO and NOx, increased for operations with biodiesel blends. At full load, NO and NOx emissions increased by 22% when 50% microalgae blends were used. Petroleum diesel and a 20% blend of waste cooking oil methyl ester had emissions of UHC that were similar, but those of microalgae oil methyl ester/petroleum diesel blends were reduced by at least 50% for all blends and engine conditions. The tested microalgae methyl esters contain some long-chain, polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) (C22:5 and C22:6) not commonly found in terrestrial-crop-derived biodiesels yet all fuel properties were satisfied or were very close to the ASTM 6751-12 and EN14214 standards. Therefore, Crypthecodinium cohnii- derived microalgae biodiesel/petroleum blends of up to 50% are projected to meet all fuel property standards and, engine performance and emission results from this study clearly show its suitability for regular use in diesel engines.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been introduced over the past several years as a promising method for nitrogen oxide (NOx) removal. The intent, when using NTP, is to selectively transfer input electrical energy to the electrons, and to not expend this in heating the entire gas stream, which generates free radicals through collisions, and promotes the desired chemical changes in the exhaust gases. The generated active species react with the pollutant molecules and decompose them. This paper reviews and summarizes relevant literature regarding various aspects of the application of NTP technology on NOx removal from exhaust gases. A comprehensive description of available scientific literature on NOx removal using NTP technology is presented, including various types of NTP, e.g. dielectric barrier discharge, corona discharge and electron beam. Furthermore, the combination of NTP with catalyst and adsorbent for better NOx removal efficiency is presented in detail. The removal of NOx from both simulated gases and real diesel engines is also considered in this review paper. As NTP is a new technique and is not yet commercialized, there is a need for more studies to be performed in this field.

Biodiesels produced from different feedstocks usually have wide variations in their fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) so that their physical properties and chemical composition are also different. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the physical properties and chemical composition of biodiesels on engine exhaust particle emissions. Alongside with neat diesel, four biodiesels with variations in carbon chain length and degree of unsaturation have been used at three blending ratios (B100, B50, B20) in a common rail engine. It is found that particle emission increased with the increase of carbon chain length. However, for similar carbon chain length, particle emissions from biodiesel having relatively high average unsaturation are found to be slightly less than that of low average unsaturation. Particle size is also found to be dependent on fuel type. The fuel or fuel mix responsible for higher particle mass (PM) and particle number (PN) emissions is also found responsible for larger particle median size. Particle emissions reduced consistently with fuel oxygen content regardless of the proportion of biodiesel in the blends, whereas it increased with fuel viscosity and surface tension only for higher diesel–biodiesel blend percentages (B100, B50). However, since fuel oxygen content increases with the decreasing carbon chain length, it is not clear which of these factors drives the lower particle emission. Overall, it is evident from the results presented here that chemical composition of biodiesel is more important than its physical properties in controlling exhaust particle emissions.

Rationale: Exposure to diesel emissions (DE) has been associated with the development of lung cancer and increased COPD mortality in at-risk populations. The aim of this study was to investigate disease-specific changes in the expression of intracellular signalling genes in primary human bronchial epithelial cells (pHBECs) in response to diesel emission exposure using the Nanostring nCounter Intracellular Signalling RNA panel. Methods: 14 pHBEC lines (see Table 1) were exposed to DE for 30 minutes through the Cultex RFS. RNA was extracted using QIAGEN AllPrep kits. Gene expression changes of 192 intracellular signalling genes were assessed using the Nanostring nCounter Intracellular Signalling RNA panel. Quality control analysis and data analysis was performed using the nSolver Analysis Software v3.0. Results: DE exposure altered expression patterns of intracellular signalling genes in disease cohorts. Five genes had significantly altered expression levels after exposure to diesel emissions, when compared to FA. Conclusions: pHBECs may produce different intracellular signalling responses after diesel emission exposure, depending on the disease cohort. pHBECs increase the expression of immune regulating, inflammatory and anti-inflammatory genes after diesel emission exposure.

As a biofuel feedstock, microalgae has good scalability and potential to supply a significant proportion of world energy compared to most types of biofuel feedstock. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is well-suited to wet biomass (such as microalgae) as it greatly reduces the energy requirements associated with dewatering and drying. This article presents experimental analyses of chemical and physical properties of bio-crude oil produced via HTL using a high growth-rate microalga Scenedesmus sp. in a large batch reactor. The overarching goal was to investigate the suitability of microalgae HTL bio-crude produced in a large batch reactor for direct application in marine diesel engines. To this end we characterized the chemical and physical properties of the bio-crudes produced. HTL literature mostly reports work using very small batch reactors which are preferred by researchers, so there are few experimental and parametric measurements for bio-crude physical properties, such as viscosity and density. In the course of this study, a difference between traditionally calculated values and measured values was noted. In the parametric study, the bio-crude viscosity was significantly closer to regular diesel and biodiesel standards than transesterified (FAME) microalgae biodiesel. Under optimised conditions, HTL bio-crude’s high density (0.97–1.04 kg·L−1) and its high viscosity (70.77–73.89 mm2·s−1) had enough similarity to marine heavy fuels. although the measured higher heating value, HHV, was lower (29.8 MJ·kg−1). The reaction temperature was explored in the range 280–350 °C and bio-crude oil yield and HHV reached their maxima at the highest temperature. Slurry concentration was explored between 15% and 30% at this temperature and the best HHV, O:C, and N:C were found to occur at 25%. Two solvents (dichloromethane and n-hexane) were used to recover the bio-crude oil, affecting the yield and chemical composition of the bio-crude.

In 2014, global demand for essential oils was 165 kt and it is expected to grow 8.5% per annum up to 2022. Every year Australia produces approximately 1.5k tonnes of essential oils such as tea tree, orange, lavender, eucalyptus oil, etc. Usually essential oils come from non-fatty areas of plants such as the bark, roots, heartwood, leaves and the aromatic portions (flowers, fruits) of the plant. For example, orange oil is derived from orange peel using various extraction methods. Having similar properties to diesel, essential oils have become promising alternate fuels for diesel engines. The present study explores the opportunity of using sweet orange oil in a compression ignition engine. Blends of sweet orange oil-diesel (10% sweet orange oil, 90% diesel) along with neat diesel fuel were used to operate a six-cylinder diesel engine (5.9 litres, common rail, Euro-III, compression ratio 17.3:1). Some key fuel properties such as: viscosity, density, heating value, and surface tension are presented. Engine performance (brake specific fuel consumption) and emission parameters (CO, NOX, and Particulate Matter) were measured to evaluate running with the blends. The engine was operated at 1500 rpm (maximum torque condition) with different loads. The results from the property analysis showed that sweet orange oil-diesel blend exhibits lower density, viscosity and surface tension and slightly higher calorific value compared to neat diesel fuel. Also, from the engine test, the sweet orange oil-diesel blend exhibited slightly higher brake specific fuel consumption, particulate mass and particulate number; however, the blend reduced the brake specific CO emission slightly and brake specific NOX emission significantly compared to that of neat diesel.

Compression ignition (CI) engine design is subject to many constraints, which present a multicriteria optimization problem that the engine researcher must solve. In particular, the modern CI engine must not only be efficient but must also deliver low gaseous, particulate, and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions so that its impact on urban air quality, human health, and global warming is minimized. Consequently, this study undertakes a multicriteria analysis, which seeks to identify alternative fuels, injection technologies, and combustion strategies that could potentially satisfy these CI engine design constraints. Three data sets are analyzed with the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations and Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Aid (PROMETHEE-GAIA) algorithm to explore the impact of (1) an ethanol fumigation system, (2) alternative fuels (20% biodiesel and synthetic diesel) and alternative injection technologies (mechanical direct injection and common rail injection), and (3) various biodiesel fuels made from 3 feedstocks (i.e., soy, tallow, and canola) tested at several blend percentages (20-100%) on the resulting emissions and efficiency profile of the various test engines. The results show that moderate ethanol substitutions (∼20% by energy) at moderate load, high percentage soy blends (60-100%), and alternative fuels (biodiesel and synthetic diesel) provide an efficiency and emissions profile that yields the most "preferred" solutions to this multicriteria engine design problem. Further research is, however, required to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) emissions with alternative fuels and to deliver technologies that do not significantly reduce the median diameter of particle emissions. © 2013 American Chemical Society.