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Cardanol Bio Fuel
Cardanol Bio Fuel
Cardanol Bio Fuel
INTRODUCTION
The internal combustion engines have already become an indispensable and integral
part of our present day life style, particularly in the transportation and agricultural sectors which
collectively form not only one of the main consumers of fossil fuels but also one of the major
contributors to environmental pollution. Thus, automotive, truck and non-road engines/vehicles
constitute an important field, where the use of alternative fuels emerges as a very promising, longterm, alternative solution in order to achieve the desired diversification from petroleum products
.The world is presently facing with the twin crises of fossil fuel depletion and environmental
degradation. The increasing industrialization and motorization of the world has led to a steep rise for
the demand of petroleum-based fuels. Petroleum-based fuels are obtained from limited reserves.
These finite reserves are highly concentrated in certain regions of the world. Therefore, those
countries not having these resources are facing energy/foreign exchange crisis, mainly due to the
import of crude petroleum. Also the world reserves of primary energy and raw materials are
obviously limited. According to an estimate the reserves will last for 218 years for coal, 41 years for
oil, and 63 years for natural gas , Hence the prices of crude oil keep rising andfluctuating on a daily
basis. So it is necessary to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from resources available
locally within the country and renewable, such as alcohol, biodiesel, vegetable oils etc. which
promise a very good relation with sustainable development, energy conservation, efficiency and
environmental preservation. The fuels of bio-origin can provide a feasible solution to this worldwide
petroleum crisis. Various bio fuel energy resources explored include biomass, biogas, primary
alcohols, vegetable oils, biodiesel etc.
The name bio-diesel was introduced in the United States during 1992 by the National
Soy Diesel Development Board (presently National Bio-diesel Board) which has pioneered the
commercialization of bio diesel in the US. Bio-fuels are fuels produced by a number of chemical /
biological processes from biological materials like plants, agricultural wastes etc, Bio fuel is a source
of renewable energy. Bio diesel can be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum diesel
depending on the economics and emissions without any engine modifications.
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There are many tree species which bear seeds which is rich in oil and having properties
of an excellent fuel and which can be processed as a diesel substitute. One of the most promising fuel
alternatives is the vegetable oils and their derivatives. Plenty of scientific articles and research
activities from around the world were printed and recorded. Oils from coconut, soy bean, sunflower,
safflower, peanut, linseed and palm were used depending on what country they grow abundantly. It
has been reported that in diesel engines vegetable oils can be used as fuel, straight as well as in
blends with the diesel. It is evident that there are various problems associated with vegetable oils
being used as fuel in compression ignition engines, mainly caused by their high viscosity. The high
viscosity is due to the molecular mass and chemical structure of vegetable oils, which in turn leads
the problems in pumping, combustion and atomization in the injector system of diesel engine. Due to
the high viscosity, vegetable oils normally introduce the development of gumming, the formation of
injector deposits, ring sticking as well as incompatibility with conventional lubricating oils in longterm operations.
The use of edible oil for production of bio-fuel will create scarcity in food production.
So it is recommended to use non-edible oils in bio-fuel production. Of these some important varieties
are Jatropha, Neem, Mahua etc. And the performance of Jatropha and other oils as blends with
diesel as well their esters, have been well established and documented as Internal Combustion (IC)
Engine fuels. This paper is based on a new variety of bio-fuel extracted from Cashew Nut Shell
Liquid (CSNL) called Cardanol.
1.1
LITERATURE SURVEY
Mallikappa D.N Rana pratap Reddy and Ch.S.N.Murthy (2011) found the effects cardanol oil
and its diesel blends . For 20% blends emission levels were nominal .and suggested that there is a
potential for the use upto 20% and hence 20% saving in fuel cost
Experimental investigation of CNSL as alternative fuel, was undertaken by V. Palvannan and K.
Balagurunathan (2012).And the first trial run with a maximum of 20% CNSL-diesel blend, was successfully
conducted on single cylinder CI engine. Engine power output and smoke emissions were found to be
satisfactory.Then it was decided to proceed with further testing using CNSL as alternative fuel.
A study by A.S . Ramdhas, S.jayaraj and C . Muraleedharan demonstrate the production and
characterization Of vegetable oil as well as the experimental work carried out in various countries
in this field. In addition, the scope and challenges being faced in this area of research are
clearly described.
CHAPTER 2
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2.2 CNSL and its extraction:The cashew nut shell is about 0.3 cm thick, having a soft feathery outer skin and a thin
hard inner skin. Between these skins is the honeycomb structure containing the phenolic material
known as CNSL. Inside the shell is the kernel wrapped in a thin skin known as the testa[4]. CNSL is
a reddish brown viscous liquid, having 4 major components viz. Anacardic acid, Cardanol, Cardol,
Methyl Cardol which are naturally occurring unsaturated phenols. CNSL is traditionally obtained as
a byproduct during the process of removing the cashew kernel from the nut. The processes used are
mainly hot-oil and roasting in which the CNSL oozes out from the shell .
Technical CNSL, (i.e. heat extracted) the heating process leads to decarboxylation of the
anacardic acid to form cardanol. Typically, the composition of technical CNSL is approximately
52% cardanol, 10% cardol, 30% polymeric material, with the remainder being made up of other
substances. The technical CNSL is often further processed by distillation at reduced pressure to
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remove the polymeric material. The composition of distilled technical CNSL is approximately 78%
cardanol, 8% cardol, 2% polymeric material, 1% 2-methyl cardol, 2.3% heptadecyl homologue
triene, 3.8% heptadecyl homologue diene and the remainder other homologous phenols. Cardanol is
a naturally occurring monohydroxyl phenol having a long hydrocarbon chain in the Meta position.
Fig no.8 Methods for extraction of CNSL from cashew nut shell
Roasting method
In East Africa, the traditional method of removing CNSL involves roasting the nut in drums
or baths. The roasting process not only removes the corrosive CNSL but also makes the shell brittle,
thereby aiding the cracking process. This method causes the loss of most of CNSL. In order to
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extract the retained CNSL, the nuts are roasted in baths at a temperature of 180185C. Vents in the
equipment dispel the unpleasant fumes. This method recovers 8590% of the liquid (Acland, 1977).
In India, method of extracting CNSL involves roasting the nuts in a shallow pan over open
charcoal fires and uses constant agitation to prevent the nuts from becoming scorched. This method
is extremely unpleasant as the shells burst releasing CNSL and fumes with resulting losses
(Woodroof, 1967).
According to an Italian patent, the shells are scraped in a rotary apparatus with sand and steel
wool, heated at 100300C for 1 h and then roasted at 400700C in an inert atmosphere, when the
oil again oozes out (Gedamet al., 1986).
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The percentage yield of CNSL varies with the extraction process. Indian native method of roasting
nuts and collecting the expelled liquid is reported to yield about 50% of total oil content. Extraction
with hot oil bath method gives about 8590% of total CNSL in India. Superheated steam treatment
and collection of condensate method improves the yield further by 2%
Higher the processing methods and refinement, higher will be the cost of CNSL which is
further augmented due to increased handling, transportation, chemicals and energy input for
processing, Due to bulk availability, low price and ease of production for experimentation in IC
engine expeller cold extracted CNSL is chosen. If the performance is proven then it will be the
cheapest renewable fuel will benefit the cashew processing countries.
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2.3.1 Transesterification
Cardanol oil sample, unhydrous methyl alcohol 99% grade laboratory reagent type and
sodium hydroxide was selected as the catalyst. About 4 grams of catalyst was dissolved in 200 ml
methanol to prepare alkoxide, which is required to activate the alcohol. The solution was stirred
vigorously for 20 minutes in a covered container until the alkali was dissolved completely. Mixture
was protected from atmosphere carbon dioxide and moisture as both destroy the catalyst. The alcohol
catalyst (NaOH) mixture was then transferred to the reactor containing 700 ml moisture free crude
CNSL oil. Stirring of the mixture was continued for 90 minutes at a temperature between 60-65
degrees. The round bottom flask was connected to a refractor condenser and the mixture was heated
for approximately three hours.
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CHAPTER 3
PERFORMANCE TEST ON DOUBLE CYLINDER CI
ENGINE
In this investigation the various performance and emission tests were conducted on four strokes
twin cylinder engine manufactured by M/s Kirloskar Company limited (as shown in Fig.). The tests
were conducted up to 25% blends, because the viscosity of above 25% blends exceeds more than 5
Cs.
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3.2 Emission Equipment:A DELTA 1600-L of MRU make Exhaust gas analyzer is used to find the NOx (ppm),
UBHC (ppm), and CO (%) emissions in the exhaust.
3.3 Operating And Recording Procedure:1. Calculated volume of 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% CNSL were taken in measuring jar and mixed
with 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% neat diesel respectively. After stirring using a magnetic stirrer for 15
minutes, blends were ready on volume basis.
2. Engine was allowed to run for 15 minutes to enable warming up of components to reach stable
condition for testing.
3. Loading was done for neat diesel in 5 steps starting from no load, 25% load, 50%load, 75% load
and full load (10Hp) condition. Once the stable running was achieved, time taken for 10cc was noted
down by a stopwatch.. Engine speed was also recorded for complete range of loading.
4. Flexible hose from the flue gas tapping was taken out and connected to the exhaust gas analyzer.
5. Five sets of readings were recorded for each fuel composition and average value was calculated
and used for calculation in order to reduce the experimental errors.
6. Readings observed for standard diesel fuel are taken as the base.
7. Subsequently four CNSL blends ranging from 10 to 25% by volume and diesel 90 to 75%
respectively, were tested one after the other by filling the blend in the biodiesel tank. The 3way valve
were opened and closed suitably to changeover from one blend to another.
8. Sufficient time was allowed to empty the previous blend in the filter, pipeline and injector lines.
Warming up time of 10 minutes for each blend is necessary to obtain accurate reading in order to
assess the correct behavior of each blend.
9. All the readings are recorded in the same way as described from steps 1 to8.. For each blend and
each loading average value of 5 measurements of each parameter is recorded in the tabular format.
10. After completing all the testing of the blends, once again the neat diesel was used to purge the
lines containing the Bio fuel so that accumulation, settling and gumming could be avoided.
11. The required characteristics curves are plotted.
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CHAPTER 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The performance test on Double cylinder CI engine is conducted and various characteristic
curves are plotted . The performance of the engine was evaluated in terms of Brake Power (BP),
Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE), brake Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) and also the emission of
various gases like NOx, UBHC, and CO are analyzed.
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CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
Based on the results of the study the following conclusions were obtained.
The significant factor of cardanol bio fuel is its low cost, its abundance and it is a byproduct
of cashew nut industries so it helps to reduce costly petroleum imports.
The price of Cashew Nut Shell Oil is in the range of US $ 0.34 to 0.51 per litre (2011 prices)
in India depending upon the location and grade. Thus the idea of blending CNSL up to 35%
with diesel (US $ 0.9/ litre) direct fuel cost savings of 20 to 25% is possible. At present, all
the biodiesel products cost 3 to 5 times the diesel price[3],
The properties like density, viscosity, flash and fire points of cardanol bio fuel volumetric
blends under test are higher, and calorific values are lower and are in the range of 94-96%that
of diesel.
The brake specific energy consumption decreases by 30-40% approximately with increases in
brake power. This reverse trend was observed due to lower calorific value with increase in
bio fuel percentage in the blends.
The brake thermal efficiency obtained for Cardanol bio fuel volumetric blends was less than
that of diesel. This lower brake thermal efficiency obtained could be due to lower calorific
value and increase in fuel consumption as compared to diesel.
The NOx emissions (ppm) increases with increased proportion of blends and also with higher
EGT. This trend mainly because of presence oxygen in bio fuel, this leads to more oxidation
at higher temperature and responsible for more NOx emissions.
The HC emissions are nominal up to B20, and more at B25, the reason for this is the
incomplete combustion.
The Carbon monoxide emissions increases with higher blends, and increases slightly more
after 20% blends. At higher loads CO emissions slightly decreased may be due to at higher
temperatures the performance of the engine improved with relatively better burning of the
fuel resulting in decreased CO.
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It is biodegradable.
The ozone (smog) forming potential of CNSL constituents are less than diesel fuel.
Generally, the ozone forming potential of the biofuel hydrocarbon emission, is 50% of diesel.
From the above study it is observed that up to 20% blends of cardanol bio fuels may be used as
diesel fuel substitute in CI Engines without any modifications.
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REFERENCES
.
[1] A.S. Ramadhas , S. Jayaraj, C. Muraleedharan ,Use ofvegetable oils as I.C. engine fuels.
journal of Renewable Energy 29 (2004) 727742.
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