Combustion analysis of Jatropha methyl esters and Pongamia methyl esters with the addition of ethanol as fuel in a diesel engine

The aim of our project is to experimentally access the practical applications of ethanol and blending it with some lubricating oils in a direct injection compression ignition engine. This replacement of conventional diesel with ethanol requires some of the properties of ethanol to be altered. In order to increase the lubricating property of ethanol, it is blended with some lubricating oils. Some of the preferred lubricating oils are methyl esters of Jatropha oil, Pongamia oil, etc. Ethanol is blended with these lubricating oils to reduce the corrosive property of ethanol. The different fuel blends [Pongamia–ethanol (50–50) and Jatropha–ethanol (50–50)] are used in the direct injection CI engine, the combustion characteristics are calculated and they are compared with diesel and a perfect blend is analysed. The engine combustion parameters such as peak pressure, heat release rate (HRR) and cumulative heat release rate were computed. The combustion analysis revealed that the early rate of pressure rise causes the cylinder pressure to rise early in the case of alternate fuels with a resulting lower rate of pressure rise and peak pressure. However, HRR and cumulative HRR show a maximum for Pongamia–ethanol (50–50) when compared with the neat diesel fuel.     

Molecular profiling of Jatropha curcas L. collected from different geographical locations of India

The present study surveys the morphological, biochemical and molecular diversity in 30 accessions of Jatropha collected from different states of India by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and isozyme analysis. The genotyping data were used to understand the relationships among accessions and to identify genetic diversity as a means for genetic improvement of Jatropha. Out of 37 decamer primers used, 18 yielded polymorphic banding pattern. In total, 126 different DNA bands were reproducibly obtained, out of which 81 were polymorphic. SDS-PAGE of seed, leaf and callus resolved into 18, 12 and 7 bands, while no biotype-specific band was found in leaf and callus protein profile. Cluster analysis of both RAPD and SDS-PAGE data produced two major clusters.     

Synthesis and characterization of Ni-Mo catalyst using Jatropha curcas leaves as carbon support and its catalytic activity for hydrotreating of gas oil,Jatropha oil,and their blends

A novel carbon-based Ni-Mo catalyst has been synthesized successfully from Jatropha curcas leaves using boric acid as a surface modifying agent. The Ni-Mo catalyst prepared on Jatropha curcas leaves had shown BET surface area of 316 m²/g whereas the Ni-Mo catalyst prepared without boric acid activation had shown BET surface area of only 14 m²/g. XRD and SEM data have shown that the active catalyst particles such as Ni and Mo have been found to be uniformly distributed. The inventive catalyst was studied for hydrotreating of gas oil, Jatropha curcas oil and 20% Jatropha oil in gas oil at 370°C, 90 bar H₂ pressure, liquid hour space velocity of 1 h^?1, and gas-to-oil ratio of 500 Nm³/m³ and the results obtained were found to be comparable with that of the commercial Ni-Mo catalyst supported on alumina.     

Effect of metal oxide/alumina on catalytic deoxygentation of biofuel from physic nut residues pyrolysis

Rapid catalytic thermal conversion of Physic nut (Jatropha curcas) residues for upgrading the released vapors was performed using analytical pyrolyzer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry at 873 K. Conditioning of the evolved vapor product is required since the main vapor products formed without catalysts typically contained around 60% fatty acids, while the total hydrocarbon yields were only 12%. Catalysts tested were alumina (Al₂O₃) alone and modified by 5 wt% impregnation with various transition metal salts and then calcined to metal oxides. A significant decrease in the proportion of oxygenated compounds (including acids) from 73% without a catalyst to less than 10% with, and an increased conversion to hydrocarbons of more than 70% was obtained with the metal/Al₂O₃ catalysts at a Jatropha:catalyst (J:C) ratio of 1:10. The product selectivity was greatly increased as the J:C ratio was increased from 1:1 to 1:10. The total hydrocarbon selectivity of the metal/Al₂O₃ catalysts was increased in the order of Pd > Ni > Ce > Ru > La > none > Co > Mo, with the highest proportion of total hydrocarbons obtained being 75%. In addition, only a low yield (<2%) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was obtained from the conversion of Jatropha curcas residues. However, these catalysts adversely promoted N-containing compounds, suggesting that a further denitrogenation process is necessary. Nevertheless, the overall performance of these transition metal/Al₂O₃ catalysts is acceptable and they can be considered as good candidates for bio-oil upgrading.     

Assessment of lectin activity in a toxic and a non-toxic variety of Jatropha curcas using latex agglutination and haemagglutination methods and inactivation of lectin by heat treatments

Lectin activity in a toxic (Cape Verde) and non-toxic (Mexico) variety of Jatropha curcas seed meal was investigated using latex agglutination and haemagglutination assays. Lectin activity expressed as reciprocal of the minimum quantity (in mg) of Jatropha meal per ml of the assay mixture which produced agglutination with the latex beads was 2·88 ± 0·57 and 1·71 ± 0·00 (mean ± SD, n = 3) for the toxic and the non-toxic varieties, respectively, which did not differ significantly (P > 0·05), while with the haemagglutination assay these values were 102 and 51, respectively, and differed significantly (P < 0·05). The lectins were inactivated by heating and moist heat was more effective than dry heat. The results suggest that lectins may not be responsible for short term toxicity caused by consumption of raw Jatropha meal. © 1998 SCI.     

麻疯树油一步加氢催化制备生物航空煤油

以麻疯树油为原料,以自制的Pt/SAPO-11为催化剂,一步加氢制备生物航空煤油。探究了反应温度、氢压、油剂比、反应时间和转速对C_8~C_(16)比率和C_8~C_(16)烃异构率的影响。结果表明:在反应温度290℃、氢压2.5 MPa、油剂比10∶1、反应时间3 h、转速200 r/min的条件下,产物C_8~C_(16)比率为69.2%,C_8~C_(16)烃异构率为19.01%;对精馏后的产品进行性能检测,各检测指标达到了3号喷气燃料的标准(GB 6537—2006)。     

Review and prospects of Jatropha biodiesel industry in China

Jatropha curcas L. is chosen as an ideal biodiesel crop in China because its seed kernel has high oil content (43-61%) and it does not compete with food. Its oil is non-edible, and the trees can resist drought and grow on barren and marginal lands without using arable land. This article reviews the history of Jatropha, current development status and problems in its seeds, propagation, plantation management, oil extraction, biodiesel processing and other value-added products production techniques in China. The commercial production of seed, oil and biodiesel as well as research advancement in China is also introduced and discussed. Examples about our new bred mutant and selected high-oil-yield Jatropha varieties, high-qualified produced biodiesel, and biodiesel pilot plant are presented. Finally, future prospects of Jatropha biodiesel industry in China are discussed.     

Characterization of Jatropha curcas oils and their derived fatty acid ethyl esters obtained from two different plantations in Cuba

The scope of this work is to evaluate some properties of the oils and derived fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) from two different Jatropha Curcas species planted in Cuba. The properties that were determined include the acid value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value and fatty acid ethyl esters composition. In order to study the influence of the genus species and geographic conditions on the fuel properties, the oils from Jatropha Curcas planted in two regions of Cuba and their derived FAEE were analyzed and compared. The two plantations were in San José (SJ) and Guantanamo (Gt) representing respectively the western and eastern part of the island.The analyses indicated that the FAEE obtained from Guantanamo has a higher acid value and peroxide value compared with the FAEE from San José. The p-anisidine values did not show a clear trend and the results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry indicated a similar FAEE composition. The results obtained by gas chromatography are in good agreements with previous reports.     

Characterisation of land types and agro-ecological conditions for production of Jatropha as a feedstock for biofuels in Zimbabwe

There is increasing interest in Zimbabwe in developing a biofuels industry based on the production of biodiesel using Jatropha as the main feedstock. This has led to the introduction of Jatropha as a commercial energy crop in the country. There are plans to grow 1220 km² of Jatropha which will supply about 365,000 t of seed. This will provide about 110 dam³ of biodiesel required to achieve a blending level of 10% with petro-diesel. The availability and suitability of land for the production of Jatropha cannot be taken for granted, particularly given the fact that the concept and practice of production of feedstocks for biofuels remain contested on the threat they pose to food security. Determining the land that is potentially available for biofuels is a non-trivial task. A multiplicity of factors needs to be considered. It is important to determine the spatial extent of areas with suitable growth conditions for Jatropha. The interaction of soil type and land use is an important interface in agriculture. Added to this is the need to balance food, fodder and fuel supply in land use planning. This paper attempts to assess the availability and suitability of various land types as well as agro-ecological conditions for the production of Jatropha in Zimbabwe.     

Vegetable oil production potential from Jatropha curcas, Croton megalocarpus, Aleurites moluccana, Moringa oleifera and Pachira glabra: Assessment of renewable energy resources for bio-energy production in Africa

Research on vegetable oil for biofuels in Africa and Asia has focused mainly on Jatropha curcas while other potential oil bearing plants have received little attention. Vegetable oil production potential for five oil bearing plant species namely: Aleurites moluccana, Croton megalocarpus, Jatropha curcas, Moringa oleifera and Pachira glabra were investigated. Nuts and seeds of the plants were collected from the wild and their potential for vegetable oil production assessed in terms of seed/nut acreage yield, seed/nut oil content, harvesting requirement, and upstream processing before vegetable oil recovery. All five varieties were found to contain acceptable but different oil content ranging from 20 to 33% w/w, and seed/nut acreage yield of 3 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ to 12.5 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. Upstream processing was needed for A. moluccana to break open nuts to release the kernel, and dehulling for both C. megalocarpus and J. curcas to release the seeds, before extracting the vegetable oil, while the seeds of both M. oleifera and P. glabra did not need upstream processing. The Multi-criteria Decision Analysis ranked C. megalocarpus as the plant with the highest vegetable oil production potential of 1.8 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ followed by M. oleifera, J. curcas (1 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹), A. moluccana, and P. glabra. The analysis underlines the need for more studies on C. megalocarpus and M. oleifera for biofuel production in Africa and other regions.