IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v316y2025ics0360544225000398.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evaluating the combustion characteristics of Prosopis Juliflora biodiesel with diethyl ether additives in diesel engines

Author

Listed:
  • Debella, Hailu Abebe
  • Ancha, Venkata Ramayya
  • Atnaw, Samson Mekbib
  • Sundar, L. Syam
  • Asfand, Faisal
  • Khan, Muhammad Imran

Abstract

Fossil fuels contribute heavily to global greenhouse gas emissions and their fast depletion necessitates sustainable alternatives. Biodiesel produced from non-edible oils like those of invasive plant species can provide renewable options without concerns of food security or land-use changes. This study experimentally investigates the combustion characteristics of biodiesel derived from Prosopis Juliflora (PJ), an invasive shrub in Ethiopia, when blended with diesel and diethyl ether (DEE) additive. The primary objective is to optimize the combustion of PJ biodiesel in a diesel engine by identifying the optimal DEE concentration and analyzing its impact on combustion parameters. Biodiesel was produced from PJ seeds through transesterification and blended in a 20 % ratio with diesel fuel. DEE was added to this mixture in varying concentrations (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 %). The combustion characteristics, including cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR), were evaluated on a single-cylinder diesel engine at a constant speed of 2600 rpm under different engine loads. The results demonstrate that a 10 % DEE blend yields the most significant improvement, with a 6.5 % increase in peak cylinder pressure and a 4.7 % rise in heat release rate, compared to baseline diesel. Furthermore, engine brake power output showed maximum enhancement at this DEE concentration. The improved combustion is attributed to the synergistic effects of PJ biodiesel's high cetane number and DEE's low viscosity and high volatility, which reduce ignition delay and enhance fuel atomization. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation into the combustion optimization of PJ biodiesel with DEE additives, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable, renewable alternative to petrodiesel without requiring engine modifications. Such non-edible biodiesel-ether blends provide feasible renewable substitutes to petrodiesel.

Suggested Citation

  • Debella, Hailu Abebe & Ancha, Venkata Ramayya & Atnaw, Samson Mekbib & Sundar, L. Syam & Asfand, Faisal & Khan, Muhammad Imran, 2025. "Evaluating the combustion characteristics of Prosopis Juliflora biodiesel with diethyl ether additives in diesel engines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:316:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225000398
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.134397
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225000398
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.134397?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:316:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225000398. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.