Laboratory investigation of the performance and emissions of biodiesel-diesel fuel blends from rapeseed, soybean and palm oil biodiesels

Fossil fuel reserves are running out and its use for energy production also affects the environment. Therefore, sustainable and clean energy sources must be produced to meet the needs. In this research, mixed fuels of methyl esters of rapeseed oil, soybean oil and palm oil were produced with diesel fuel. To achieve the advantages of palm oil biodiesel (high calorific value) and soybean and rapeseed oil biodiesel (low kinematic viscosity), different biodiesel mixtures (BS10, BS20, BR10, BR20, BP10, BP20, BRSP10 and BRSP20) were used to evaluate their effect on engine performance and greenhouse gas emissions at speeds of 1800 to 2700 rpm with a step of 300 rpm under full load conditions. The physical and chemical properties of all fuel mixtures were measured according to the ASTM D6751 standard. An air-cooled, 4-stroke, naturally aspirated single-cylinder diesel engine was used for different mixture testing. The experimental results showed that in all the combined fuels, the values of power and specific fuel consumption increase with increasing engine speed, while the torque decreases. Also, the number of pollutants increases with the increment of engine speed. Based on the results, BP20 mixture fuel can be used as an alternative in diesel engines without any engine modification.