Title: Environmental impact of using biodiesel as fuel in transportation: a review

Authors: BIjan Mandal; Samiddha Palit; Achin Kumar Chowdhuri; Bijan Kumar Mandal

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, Howrah 711109, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, Howrah 711 103, India. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, Howrah 711 103, India. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, Howrah 711 103, India

Abstract: The environmental pollution and global warming associated with the use of fossil fuels, has forced a search for alternative fuels in transportation. This paper presents a review of the use of biodiesel in CI engines and its environmental impacts. There is a significant reduction in the emission of unburned hydrocarbons, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and soot, particulate matters, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide with biodiesel. Smoke opacity also decreases, but the NO_x emission is more with biodiesel. It is evident from the study that biodiesel can only replace conventional diesel to some extent due to economic, social and other constraints.

Keywords: alternative fuels; biodiesel; transesterification; CI engines; smoke opacity; pollutant emissions; environmental impact; environmental pollution; global warming; vehicle emissions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2011.043421

International Journal of Global Warming, 2011 Vol.3 No.3, pp.232 - 256

Received: 29 Sep 2010
Accepted: 10 Mar 2011
Published online: 29 Jan 2015 *

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