Abstract:
The increasing demand of energy for rapid industrialization and domestic needs are putting an additional pressure on existing conventional energy sources. These are already producing more hazardous emissions into the environment than its prescribed limits. So we need some kind of energy source which must be easily available, cost effective and most importantly it must be environmental friendly. Many researches worked on this and found an alternate fuel i.e. biodiesel which can be produced from the various feed stocks. This may be the best substitute for the conventional energy and having almost negligible effect on environment and also a solution to one of the most challenging environmental issues. This paper analyses the various aspects such as performance and emission of biodiesel. The main focus area of this review is to discuss the reduction of major pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO), unburnt hydrocarbons (UHC), particulate matter (PM) and effect of fatty acid composition on performance and emission characteristics. Biodiesel can be used as fuel without modification in CI engine, it means biodiesel replaces the diesel fuel. The various results show that the different chemical composition of biodiesel lead to the variation in performance and emission characteristics based on their source of origin. The biodiesel obtained from saturated feedstock shows low emission of NOx and high resistance to oxidation, however to improve the atomization further research and policy issues is required to understand the complex relationship between biodiesel feedstock and its characteristics & use.
