Experimental investigation of ternary biodiesel blends combustion in a diesel engine to reduce emissions

The study presents an experimental investigation of two new ternary biodiesel blends, namely, ManCr_Pa (a mixture of Mandarin, Crambe biodiesel and paraffin as an additive) and AvBn_Pa (mix of Avocado, Bush nut biodiesel and paraffin) by modifying the critical fuel properties closer to the diesel fuel. Those ternary blends' performance, emission and combustion characteristics were compared with diesel and typical B5 blends at the same engine conditions. The result reveals that at high engine rpm, the new ternary biodiesel blends exhibited nearly similar engine performance to that of diesel fuel with a significant reduction of carbon monoxide (33.3%), hydrocarbons (33.3 to 73.3%) and particulate matter (17.8 to 28.8%). For instance, brake power (BP), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) slightly decreased by 0.25 to 0.38, 0.27 to 0.42 and 0.04%, respectively, whereas brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) slightly increased by 0.52%. The ternary blends also demonstrated closer combustion behaviour, i.e. heat release rate (HRR) with diesel at full load conditions. Compared with the typical B5 blend, the modified ternary biodiesel blends showed better engine performance with a substantial reduction of emissions. Interestingly, the ternary blends exhibited lower NOx emissions than the B5 blend. The study concluded that the newly developed ternary biodiesel blends are superior to ordinary B5 blends and closely performing fuel to standard diesel. The results of this study have important implications for using these new blends as substitutes for diesel while realising similar benefits

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Not AvailableLand resource inventory (LRI) at 1: 10, 000 scale, using fine resolution remotely sensed data of IRS P6 LISS IV in Katkamdag block of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand representing Chhotanagpur plateau region, India revealed 6 landforms, 11 soil series mapped in 13 soil mapping units (as phases of soil series) and 5 land management units (LMUs). Soil quality index (SQI) of LMUs revealed LMU 4 as the best land with percentage of goodness of SQI of 66.0, whereas, LMU 1 as poor land with the same as 27.9%. Priority ranking of land management indicators (LMIs) divulged coarse texture of soils, low soil organic carbon (less than 0.50%), low CEC [less than 5.0 cmol (p+) kg−1] and Zn deficiency (less than 0.6 mg kg−1) as the major constraints for crop growth in LMU 1, 2 and 3. Impact assessment of LRI based land use plan (LUP) unveiled that LRI based alternate cropping systems with best management practices enhance the average annual net returns and average annual B: C ratio of the farmers by 207% and 94%, respectively over the existing cropping system.Not Availabl

Systematic study on the effect of Ag doping in shaping the magnetic properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 nanoparticles.

Effect of Silver (Ag) doping in shaping magnetic properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) is studied using different characterisation techniques. An interconnection between the results of characterizations and the magnetic behavior of the Ag doped samples has been established. XRD patterns show an anatase to rutile phase transition in NPs at 14 at. % Ag doping. XRD peaks related to metallic Ag are found in the TiO2 NPs containing 10 and 14 at. % Ag whereas secondary phase of Ag2O is noticed in all the samples. FESEM images exhibit the presence of segregated silver clusters attached to the TiO2 nanostructures for 10 and 14 at. % Ag doping. XPS detects the presence of several cationic states in doped TiO2 NPs. UV–Vis measurements reveal that the quantum size effect enhances the band gap at initial level of doping and afterwards it continiously decreases due to sp-d exchange interactions. M − H study shows the emergence of soft ferromagnetism (FM) in the sample doped with a critical Ag+ ion concentration of 5 at. % due to d-orbital mediated spin information transfer between two hole trapped Ag+ ion and a Ti3+ defect leading to the formation of BMP. Temperature dependent FC and ZFC magnetization measurements indicate coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic domains. The investigations culminate in identification of not only the optimum processing conditions for enhanced FM properties along with good physical characteristics but also the probable cause behind the origin of FM in Ag doped TiO2 NPs. Such Ag doped TiO2 NPs can be useful for development of futuristic spintronic and magneto-optical devices