Experimental investigations of biodiesel from waste avocado and its diesel blends as a fuel in diesel engines

Abstract

Depleting global fossil fuel reserves combined with increasing number of automobiles, newlinevolatile crude oil prices due to geo political situations and growing concern newlineover the environmental impact of exhaust emissions from internal combustion (I C) newlineengines have forced researchers across the globe to develop alternative fuels. Of the newlinevarious alternative resources, biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engine could newlinesupplement fossil fuel demand and provide sustainable energy while mitigating climate newlinechange, along with being renewable, biodegradable and environmental friendly newlinein nature. Biodiesel could be produced from variety of sources of both animal and newlinevegetable fats. When using vegetable oils, both edible and non-edible feed stocks newlineare used in the production of biodiesel. However using non-edible vegetable oils is newlineconsidered legitimate so as to avoid food vs. energy conflict. In this work, waste newlineavocado was identified as a potential feed stock for biodiesel production and its newlineutilisation as a fuel in diesel engines. newlineThe present work begins with the collection and preparation of waste avocado for newlineoil production. Oil was extracted by mechanical expulsion using a hydraulic press. newlineSolvent extraction was followed for further oil extraction from the press cake left over newlinefrom the pressing process. The kinematic viscosity of the extracted oil was found newlineto be 76.52 cSt which is quite high for direct use as fuel in diesel engines. Hence, a newlinesingle step base catalyst transesterfication process was followed as the free fatty acid newline(FFA) % of the oil was less than 5%. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis of newlinethe waste avocado biodiesel was carried out using gas chromatography (GC) with newlineflame ionization detector. Methyl Oleate (C18:1) was the major component with newline56.34% followed by Methyl Linoleate (C18:2) at 25.63% and Methyl Palmitate newline(C16:0) at 13%. newline