Renewable energy sources for harnessing biofuels are the viable solution to substitute fossil fuels and reduce production cost. In this study, waste cooking oil was converted into biodiesel via a customized solar reactor. The solar reactor was customized using copper tubes and black surface to trap solar energy for conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel. The main experimental parameters studied are temperature (30 to 50 °C), stirring speed (100 to 500 rpm), catalyst loading (0.25 to 1.25 wt%), flow rate (3 to 15 LPH), and methanol to oil ratio (3:1 to 15:1), respectively. The uppermost conversion of 82% was achieved at catalyst load of 0.75 wt%, stirring speed of 300 rpm, flow rate of 3 LPH and methanol/oil ratio of 12:1. Performance of biodiesel blend (D80 + BD20) in CI engine showed a decrease in ignition delay (10.5 deg. CA) and brake thermal efficiency (32.7%) at maximum load (100%). Smoke emission was also decreased with an increase in biodiesel blend at lower brake power, but an increase in brake power increased the smoke emission.
Keywords: Biodiesel; Engine emission; Engine performance; Solar; Waste cooking oil.
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