The rapid depletion of crude oil and environmental degradation
necessitate the search for alternative fuel sources for internal combustion
engines. Biodiesel is a promising alternative fuel for compression
ignition (CI) engines due to its heat content and combustion properties.
Biodiesel blends are used in various vehicles and equipment, such
as cars, trucks, buses, off-road vehicles, and oil furnaces. Biodiesel
can reduce emissions from CI engines by up to 75% and improve engine
durability due to its high lubricity. However, biodiesel has some
drawbacks, including a performance reduction and increased nitrogen
oxide emissions. Therefore, this study aims to investigate using environmentally
available biodiesel in a low-heat rejection engine and an antioxidant
additive to enhance the performance and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
India currently has several biodiesel sources, including mango seed
oil, mahua oil, and pongamia oil, which can be effectively utilized
in CI engines by adding l-ascorbic acid. The experimental
work involves a single-cylinder 4-stroke water-cooled direct injection
CI engine with a power output of 5.2 kW. The engine’s cylinder
head, piston head, and valves are coated with lanthanum oxide using
the plasma spray coating technique, with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The
coated and uncoated engines are tested with different proportions
of mahua oil, mango seed oil, and pongamia oil. The results show that
the engine’s performance is significantly improved compared
to the baseline engine at all loads. Additionally, these biodiesels
exhibit a notable reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions when combined
with l-ascorbic acid.