ABSTRACT

Rapid increase in the level of carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases are leading to global warming. An exhaust from automotive vehicles is one of the most important constituents of the total environmental pollutions. At the same, the increasing energy consumption and fast diminishing energy reserves have led to an intensified search for viable renewable alternative sources of energy globally. The methyl esters of vegetable oils, known as biodiesel are becoming increasingly popular because of their low environmental impact and potential as a green alternative fuel for diesel engine and they would not require significant modification of existing engine hardware. This paper reports on biodiesel production and discusses experimental results from a laboratory performance study using biodiesel blends in a diesel engine. The biodiesel used is based on non edible Neem oil and using transesterification process with methanol at a molar ratio of 6:1. Methyl ester of Neem (NME) is derived through transesterification process. Experimental investigations show the properties of Neem, biodiesel from neem oil and compares with diesel. Results indicated that bio-diesel from neem oil has better fuel properties than neem oil and can be used as an alternative for diesel.

The density of biodiesel extracted from neem oil is 0.7225 g/cm³ and the density of diesel is 0.82 g/cm³. They are quite close to the density of diesel. The heating value of biodiesel extract from neem is 38.41 MJ/kg for diesel is 44.5 MJ/kg. The kinematic viscosity of biodiesel extract from neem oil is 4.9X10⁶m²/s.

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