Synergistic Effect of Al₂O₃ Nanoparticles on the Performance and Emission Characteristics of an Optimum B25 Biodiesel Blend in a Diesel Engine
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 14, No 4 (December 2025) pp. 143-152
Abstract
This study investigates the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with jatropha methyl ester (JME) blends and their enhancement using Al2O3 nanoparticles. Among the tested blends, B25 (25% biodiesel) was identified as the optimum blend, exhibiting performance nearly identical to conventional diesel. At maximum load, the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of B25 was 0.280 kg/kWh (8.9% higher than conventional fuel), while its Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTHE) was 32.04%. This blend outperformed higher concentration blends in performance metrics. Regarding emissions, the blend B25 revealed better emission characteristics than conventional fuel, with a 2% reduction in the emission of CO and a 1.7% reduction in HC emission. The incorporation of Al2O3 nanoparticles significantly enhanced the fuel properties. For B25, nanoparticles improved BTHE by 2.2% and it is 32.74% and reduced BSFC (0.272 kg/kWh) by 2.9%. Emissions of Smoke Density, CO, and HC for B25 were dramatically reduced by 13.7%, 14.1%, and 15.5%, respectively. However, the nanoparticle addition further increased NOx emissions by 2.7% compared to neat B25. The study concludes that B25 with Al2O3 nanoparticles offers a balanced solution, delivering better performance with substantially lower emissions, except for NOx.
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Reference
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