Composite materials are revolutionizing to realize the demanding needs of aeronautical, automobile, construction, chemical, and biomedical applications. The natural fiber composite is chosen as one of the best choices among composites due to its sustainable goods like eco-friendly nature, better properties and Greenhouse gas (GHG) balance. Furthermore, the bast fiber composites are identified as promising industrial composites based on the availability, strength-to-weight ratio, manufacturing ease, and economics for commercialization. However, product quality and production volume significantly influence commercial adoption of the bast fiber composites. Especially the product quality primarily suffer due to climatic conditions, damage while harvesting, extraction method, retting issues, and extraction location. Consequently, this review aims to provide an overview of the bast fibers & their composites, properties enhancement techniques, overall mechanical behaviours and thermal stability with suitable applications.
The ongoing depletion
of the world’s fossil fuel sources
and environmental damage has compelled the quest for alternative energy.
Excellent characteristics of biodiesel include its renewable nature,
safety, absence of sulfur, environmental advantages, and biodegradability,
which can eradicate the above problems. In this study, algal oil was
characterized to obtain the fatty acid profile, and the free fatty
acid value of algal oil suggested a two-step process of esterification
and transesterification for efficient biodiesel production. The performance
and emission results of biodiesel and its blends (B10, B20, and B30)
were investigated in a constant speed, single-cylinder, 4-stroke,
3.5 kW compression ignition engine at different loads for arriving
at an appropriate fuel blend ratio. The response surface methodology
technique is used to predict the ideal composition of microalgae–diesel
using the experimental data with due weightage for the optimization
criterion. The predicted blend ratio of B25 was tested on the engine
and authenticated. The findings recorded an improvement in brake thermal
efficiency to 31.42% and reduction in brake specific energy consumption
to 9.82 MJ/kW h, unburned hydrocarbon to 85 ppm, carbon monoxide to
0.164% v/v, carbon dioxide to 4.115% v/v, nitrogen oxides to 691 ppm,
and smoke opacity to 16.93%.
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