Emission characteristics of polymer additive mixed diesel-sunflower biodiesel fuel

Combustion of fossil fuels has a significant share in producing harmful emissions in the global emission context. With a threat of fossil fuel crisis and the necessity of reducing emission from diesel engine combustion system, biodiesel is considered as one of the key environmentally-friendly diesel fuel alternatives. In this study, sunflower biodiesel has been considered as a key ingredient to infuse waste plastic (polystyrene, PS) as another cleaner source of hydrocarbon fuel in the diesel engines. Polystyrene was infused (5% w/v) into sunflower biodiesel to produce a blend of diesel-biodiesel-polymer (DBP) fuel. The emission characteristics of the diesel, diesel–biodiesel (binary blend) and diesel-biodiesel-polymer (ternary blend) were compared in an unmodified diesel engine. The results showed that the emission compositions of the DBP were comparable to those of diesel which effectively reduced the NOx emission, as compared to diesel-biodiesel blend. In addition, the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and CO emission were reduced in DBP, as compared to biodiesel and diesel fuels. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the polymer blended fuels could be potentially used as another emission reducing fuel source in an unmodified diesel engine. The utilisation of waste polymers in biodiesel production could help find an alternative use for non-recyclable plastics, while also contributing to cleaner emission. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.