Biofuels have grabbed the attention of engine researchers ever since the oil-crisis and escalating costs of petro-chemicals cropped up in the ׳70s. Ethanol and methanol were the most widely researched alcohols in IC engines. However, the last decade has witnessed significant amount of research in higher alcohols due to the development of modern fermentation processes using engineered micro-organisms that improved yield. Higher alcohols are attractive second/third generation biofuels that can be produced from sugary, starchy and ligno-cellulosic biomass feedstocks using sustainable pathways. The present work reviews the current literature concerning the effects of using higher alcohols ranging from 3-carbon propanol to 20-carbon phytol on combustion, performance and emission characteristics of a wide range of diesel engines under various test conditions. The literature is abound with evidence that higher alcohols reduce carcinogenic particulate emissions that are prevalent in diesel engines. NOx emissions either increased or decreased based on the domination of either cetane number or heat of evaporation. Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of the engine usually suffered due to low energy content of alcohols. A notable feature is that the combination of higher alcohols (like butanol or pentanol), high exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates and late injection timing enabled low temperature combustion (LTC) in diesel engines that can simultaneously reduce smoke and NOx emissions with improved engine efficiency. It can be concluded that higher alcohols reduce smoke emissions with their fuel-borne oxygen; enhance air/fuel mixing by offering long ignition delay and eventually replace fossil diesel (partially or wholly) to enable a clean and efficient combustion in compression-ignition engines. The chief thrust areas include developing mutant strains with higher yield, higher tolerance to toxic inhibition and low-cost substrates for fermentation. Further work is required in stipulating optimum blend-fuel characteristics and ensuring the long-term durability of the engines using these fuels.

Use of higher alcohol biofuels in diesel engines: A review

Effect of biodiesel–butanol fuel blends on emissions and performance characteristics of a diesel engine

Combustion and emissions characteristics of high n-butanol/diesel ratio blend in a heavy-duty diesel engine and EGR impact

Comparative analysis of biodiesel–ethanol–diesel and biodiesel–methanol–diesel blends in a diesel engine

Effect of n-pentanol addition on the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of a direct-injection diesel engine

Study on performance and emissions of a passenger-car diesel engine fueled with butanol–diesel blends

The effects of butanol-diesel blending ratio, injecting timing and pilot injection quantity on combustion and emissions were experimentally investigated for a passenger car diesel engine. The results showed that under the typical operating condition of 2000r/min engine speed and 0.2MPa BMEP engine load, the engine’s combustion phase retarded, the peak combustion pressure and maximum in-cylinder mean temperature decreasing with the delay of the main injection timing using both the neat diesel and diesel-butanol blends. And the engine smoke level increased, while the NOx and CO emissions decreased. However, at the same main injection timing, with the increase of the butanol in the blends, the ignition delay of the combustion prolonged, the burn rate and brake specific fuel consumption increased, NOx and soot emissions decreased, and HC and CO emissions increased, while the peak in-cylinder pressure was slightly influenced. The results of this study indicate that the selection of the butanol-diesel blend ratio and injection timing should consider the engineering balances among the engine’s fuel economy and emissions.

Biao Du

Papers

Study on performance and emissions of a passenger-car diesel engine fueled with butanol–diesel blends

A Study on a Passenger Car Diesel Engine Fueled with Butanol-Diesel Blend under Typical Operating Condition