HCME: An environmental-friendly internal combustion engine fuel

In an effort to optimize the reaction conditions of biodiesel production from Hura crepitans oil and quantify the emission characteristics, two steps (esterification and transesterification) production stages was carried. Three possible experimental runs were performed in each step, the best of the three conditions were 1.45 (% v/v); H2SO4 conc., 5:1 for methanol/oil molar ratio, 40 min; reaction time which gave 1.06 % for FFA in the first step, in the second step, 92.70 %(w/w) of HCME was obtained at 0.55% KOH, 5:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, 60 oC temperature and 30 min reaction time. The produced HCME had fuel properties which satisfied both ASTME D6751 and EN 1424 standards. The fatty acid profile of the HCME revealed the dominant fatty acids were linoleic (64.50%), oleic (17.54%) and palmitic (12.70%). Emissions from an internal combustion (I.C.) engine revealed that there is 60% decreased in CO, 58% decreased in NOx, 60% decreased in HC, 39% decrease in smoke opacity and 42% decreased in BSFC at B20, respectively. Flue gas temperature increased by 12% at B20, 45% increased in BTE at B50 when compared with AGO. Hence, it can be concluded that B20 will provides the best emission.