Particulate Matter Emission Characteristics of a Biodiesel Fueled Engine at Idling Speed

Abstract

Abstract-Automotive and transportation sectors will be inclined towards the renewable or green energy in the near future. One of the green energy sources discovered recently is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a source of clean alternative fuel for internal combustion engines, which reduces the exhaust emissions significantly. Like diesel, biodiesel also emits exhaust particulate matter (PM), which is responsible for the black soot coming out from the diesel engine. However, it is not clear that what will be the size of PM formed during the idle speed of a biodiesel fueled engine. In this study, the characteristics of the exhaust particulate during the idling speed of a biodiesel fueled single cylinder diesel engine is analyzed. Biodiesel showed a positive result in terms of the concentration of emitted PM. However, particle sizes were smaller in case of biodiesel than diesel. Further studies should be carried out to improve the properties of biodiesel to ensure that the emitted particle sizes are not toxic to human health.Index Terms-Biodiesel, idling, internal combustion engine, particulate matter emission.