Experimental Investigation of Physical and Chemical Properties of the Biodiesel and Diesel Blended with Al₂O₃ Nanoparticles

Abstract

Biodiesel is renewable, nontoxic with environmentally friendly emissions profile and is readily biodegradable. The biodiesel is derived from the vegetable oils or animal fat. The main source of vegetable oils such as coconut oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, castor oil, jathropha oil, sesame oil, and palm oil. Using biodiesel in diesel engines as fuel. It has reduced the harmful greenhouse emissions and pollutants including No_x, HC and CO emissions. The addition of nanoparticles enhance the properties such as viscosity, density, calorific value, flash point, fire point of biodiesel, and also the emissions are reduced. It is also proved that nanoadditives improve the combustion efficiency and emissions. In this work, experimental investigation of the physical and chemical properties of biodiesel prepared from cottonseeds and prepared B20 (80% biodiesel + 20% diesel) and B50 (50% biodiesel + 50% diesel) blended with nanoadditives such as Al₂O₃ in various proportions such as 50 and 100 ppm. Viscosity, flash point, calorific value, fire point, and densities of blended samples are analyzed. It is found the calorific value is increased of diesel blends compared to pure biodiesel due to addition of Al₂O₃ nanoadditives and also increased in viscosity of tested fuels compared to diesel.