A study on the effects of promising edible and non-edible biodiesel feedstocks on engine performance and emissions production: A comparative evaluation

Global energy demand is increasing due to the population growth and industrialization. In order to fulfill the energy demand with considering global concern, it is necessary to find out alternative fuel sources. Biodiesel is one of the best choices because of its immense potential to be part of energy mix in the near future as well as the capability of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This paper aims to provide information to the engineers, industrialists and researchers who are interested on biodiesel. The paper presents a comprehensive review on the impact of potential biodiesel feedstocks (edible and non-edible) on engine performance and exhaust emissions including details of engine and operating condition. A large number of literatures from highly rated journals in scientific indexes are reviewed including the most recent publications. Most of the authors showed that using biodiesel from various feedstocks in diesel engines slightly lowered brake power and brake thermal efficiency but increases BSFC than diesel fuel. It was also reported that biodiesel significantly reduced the PM, HC, CO and CO2 emissions but gives slightly higher NOx emissions. It was shown that NO x can be reduced by some approaches such as blending with additives and EGR technique. The study concluded that biodiesel can be used in compression ignition engine with no or minor engine modification. Finally biodiesel can be used as a substitute of diesel fuel to fulfill the energy demand, reduce dependency on fossil fuel as well as the exhaust emissions of the engine. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.