Page 275 - Biosystems Engineering

CHAPTER 8

Performance

and Emissions

of Biodiesel and

Ethanol in Engines

Ahindra Nag
Natural Product Laboratory
Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology
Karagpur, India

8.1 Introduction
The resources of petroleum as fuel are dwindling day by day and
increasing demand of fuels pose a challenge to science and technol-
ogy. Petroleum diesel comes in the category of nonrenewable fuel
and will last for a limited period of time. The U.S. Department of
Energy has predicted that the role of bioenergy will eventually repre-
1
sent 5.75 percent of transportation fuels by 2010. Recently, President
George W. Bush’s ‘‘20 in 10 program,’’ launched in January 2007, pro-
posed that 15 percent of the transportation fuel demand would be
met with biofuels in 2018. Other countries have seriously considered
2
the massive use of bioenergy in the future. China, Germany, 3
5
4
Austria, and Sweden have set goals of using 10 to 15 percent of their
internal primary energy supply through bioenergy up to the year 2020,
where Vietnam has set a target of using bioenergy (i.e., 38.8 percent as
future energy consumption). 6
A renewable fuel such as biodiesel is an alternative fuel of diesel.
Biodiesel is a renewable energy source that can readily replace a small
part of petroleum diesel and may help to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, promote sustainable rural development, and improve
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