Life cycle cost (LCC) and the economic impact of the national biofuels development through biorefinery concept and circular economy

The challenge in the life cycle costing (LCC) analysis of the national biofuel industry is an economic analysis to determine all production costs incurred by the production process from facility construction to waste management. Regarding the Biofuel Supply Chain, the entire process of producing palm oil biodiesel is divided into three stages: production of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), production of crude palm oil (CPO), and biodiesel. LCC analysis is applied by adding an externality variable, providing comprehensive information on the cost structure of palm oil-based biodiesel production. To determine the total cost of externalities that occur due to biodiesel production, the impacts of land use, social costs and environmental costs such as emissions of air pollutants on palm oil biodiesel are considered. The results show that the LCC analysis applied by adding externality variables provides detailed information about biofuel production costs’ composition and hotspots. It can be used to determine hotspots, streamline production, obtain an overview of the most competitive total production costs, and minimize environmental impacts along its supply chain.

Effect of addition of plastic pyrolytic oil and waste cooking oil biodiesel in palm oil biodiesel–commercial diesel blends on diesel engine performance, emission, and lubricity

The main purposes of this research were to study the diesel engines' performance and emission characteristics of quaternary fuels, as well as to analyze their tribological properties. The quaternary comprised waste plastic pyrolysis oil, waste cooking oil biodiesel, palm oil biodiesel, and commercial diesel. Their compositions were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. By using mechanical stirring, four quaternary fuels with different compositions were prepared. Because Malaysia is expected to implement B30 (30% palm oil biodiesel content in diesel) in 2025, B30a (30% palm oil biodiesel and 70% commercial diesel) mixture was prepared as a reference fuel. In total, 5%, 10%, and 15% of each waste plastic pyrolysis oil and waste cooking oil biodiesel were mixed with palm oil biodiesel –commercial diesel mixture to improve fuel characteristics, engine performance, and emission parameters. The palm oil biodiesel of the quaternary fuel mixture was kept constant at 10%. The results were compared with B30a fuel and B10 (10% for palm oil biodiesel and 90% for diesel; commercial diesel). The findings indicated that compared with B30a fuel, the brake power and brake thermal efficiency of all quaternary fuel mixtures were increased by up to 2.78% and 9.81%, respectively. Compared with B30a, all quaternary fuels also showed up to a 6.31% reduction in brake-specific fuel consumption. Compared with B30a, the maximum carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions of B40 (60% commercial diesel, 10% palm oil biodiesel, 15% waste plastic pyrolysis oil and 15% waste cooking oil biodiesel) quaternary fuel were reduced by 19.66% and 4.16%, respectively. The B20 (80% commercial diesel, 10% palm oil biodiesel, 5% waste plastic pyrolysis oil and 5% waste cooking oil biodiesel) quaternary blend showed a maximum reduction of 41.86% in hydrocarbon emissions collated to B30a. Compared with B10, the average coefficient of friction of the quaternary fuel mixture of B40, B30b (70% commercial diesel, 10% palm oil biodiesel, 10% waste plastic pyrolysis oil and 10% waste cooking oil biodiesel), and B20 were reduced by 3.01%, 1.20%, and 0.23%, respectively. Therefore, the quaternary blends show excellent utilization potential in diesel engine performance.

Influence of biodiesel blends produced in Colombia on a Diesel engine

Diesel engines have dominated the heavy duty and passenger vehicle market in the past 30 years. Consequently, the oil-derived fuels demand and the amount of pollutant emissions have witnessed exponential growth during the last three decades. Although Diesel engines present the advantage of higher efficiency and, therefore, lower levels of CO2 emissions, they produce high levels of NOX and particulate matter. In order to face these difficulties, the use of alternative fuels started booming in the early 2000s and continue to gain influence today. Biodiesel stands out from the alternative fuels’ selection for its ease of use, production, storage and potential to reduce levels of particles, CO, HC and CO2. The main goal of this research is to experimentally determine the influence of palm oil biodiesel produced in Colombia on a Diesel engine’s behavior in terms of engine performance and pollutant emissions. As different mixtures of commercial Diesel and biodiesel at different operating conditions were tested, the results showed that it is possible to maintain the engine’s performance at acceptable levels and to, in some cases, reduce smoke density and NOX levels.

Comparative Studies of Piston Crown Coating with YSZ and Al2O3·SiO2 on Engine out Responses Using Conventional Diesel and Palm Oil Biodiesel

In this study, the effect of a thermal barrier coating with yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and aluminum silicate (Al2O3·SiO2) alongside an NiCrAl bond coat on the engine performance and emission analysis was evaluated by using conventional diesel and pure palm oil biodiesel. These materials were coated on the piston alloy via plasma spray coating. The findings demonstrated that YSZ coating presented better engine performances, in terms of brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) for both fuels. The piston with YSZ coating materials achieved the highest BTE (15.94% for diesel, 14.55% for biodiesel) and lowest BSFC (498.96 g/kWh for diesel, 619.81 g/kWh for biodiesel). However, Al2O3·SiO2 coatings indicated better emission with lowest emissions of NO, CO, and CO2 for both diesel and biodiesel. For the uncoated piston, the results indicated that the engine clocked the highest torque and power, especially on diesel fuel due to the high viscosity and low caloric value, and it recorded the lowest hydrocarbon emission due to the complete combustion of fuel in the engine. Hence, it was concluded that the YSZ coating could lead to better engine performance, while Al2O3·SiO2 showed promising results in terms of greenhouse gas emission.

Effect of COVID-19 on Biodiesel Industry: A Case Study in Indonesia and Malaysia

Indonesia and Malaysia are currently holding prominent roles in the global palm oil market. Both countries are the top two palm oil producers in the world and have ambitious targets to increase the palm oil-based biodiesel mandate. In Indonesia, the current programme of blending 20 per cent palm oil into 80 per cent diesel (B20) increases to B30 in 2020. Likewise, Malaysia plans to increase its biodiesel mandate from B10 to B20 in 2020. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has infected millions and brought the global economy to a near-deadlock. The effect is particularly severe in the fuel industry owing to movement restrictions and the historic drop in oil prices. Evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 on the biodiesel industry is crucial for policymakers but challenging as the pandemic has evolved with intense speed. This article aims to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the Indonesian and Malaysian biodiesel industry. In addition to that, a number of possible solutions to overcome the challenges were addressed and proposed. Despite severely affected by COVID-19, both Indonesia and Malaysia can use this momentum to improve and strengthen their biodiesel sector. Given its fiscal deficit, Indonesia should postpone its biodiesel blending mandate as the subsidy to support the programme can worsen the country’s financial stability. In Malaysia, where labour shortage is prevalent, modernising plantations with automated equipment, for instance, could potentially remove the dirty and dangerous stereotypes associated with plantation works, thus attracting more locals to work in the palm oil plantation and solving the labour shortage. This paper also briefly addresses the adoption of Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy for the palm oil biodiesel industry.

Effect of Thermal Barrier Coating on the Performance and Emissions of Diesel Engine Operated with Conventional Diesel and Palm Oil Biodiesel

In this study, the performance and emission of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) engine which applied palm oil biodiesel and diesel as a fuel were evaluated. TBC was prepared by using a series of mixture consisting different blend ratio of yttria stabilized zirconia (Y2O3·ZrO2) and aluminum oxide-silicon oxide (Al2O3·SiO2) via plasma spray coating technique. The experimental results showed that mixture of TBC with 60% Y2O3·ZrO2 + 40% Al2O3·SiO2 had an excellent nitrogen oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and unburned hydrocarbon (HC) reductions compared to other blend-coated pistons. The finding also indicated that coating mixture 50% Y2O3·ZrO2 + 50% Al2O3·SiO2 had the highest brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and lowest of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) compared to all mixture coating. Reductions of HC and CO emissions were also recorded for 60% Y2O3·ZrO2 + 40% Al2O3·SiO2 and 50% Y2O3·ZrO2 + 50% Al2O3·SiO2 coatings. These encouraging findings had further proven the significance of TBC in enhancing the engine performance and emission reductions operated with different types of fuel.

Synthesis and elaboration of modified comb type (maleic anhydride-α-tetradecene) copolymers for cold flow improvers of biodiesel

The maleic anhydride-α-tetradecene copolymer (OMAC) with an approximate relative maleic anhydride to α-tetradecene composition ratio of 1:1.2 was synthesized by free radical copolymerization. The copolymers were modified by the esterification reaction between the anhydride groups and the OH- group of hexadecanol. Comb-type (-maleic acid cetyl ester-co-α-tetradecene-) copolymers (MCEC) with various ratios of alkyl group/carboxyl group (r) were investigated. Upon cooling, the MCEC changed the crystallization state of the wax crystals, and reduced the pour point of the biodiesel, which was observed by pour point and dynamic viscosity testing. The MCEC efficiency that improved the cold flow properties of the biodiesel was found to be correlated to r. MCEC with r=2.76 was found to be the most effective in improving the flow ability of the palm oil biodiesel. Our study demonstrates the ability of MCEC3 at 1000 ppm concentration to reduce the pour point of palm oil biodiesel to 10.5oC and the dynamic viscosity up to 1.04 mPa.s. A correlation was found between the number and the length of the pendant alkyl groups of additives and the compositions of the fatty acid methyl ester of the biodiesel.