Investigation of Mahua, Pongamia and waste cooking oil blends as biodiesel properties

Abstract

Looking at the present scenario of world’s energy consumption and its dependency on fossil fuels, biodiesel has become a ray of hope as it is environmental friendly fuel derived from plant sources. In that context the present paper reports the study of physical properties of Mahua, Pongamia and Waste cooking oil blend for usage as biodiesels in engines. Each biodiesel has its own specific properties which need to be tested before running test on a engine. The physical properties such as kinematic viscosity, flash point, fire point, density, heating values and acid values are measured for MPW (Mahua 50%, Pongamia 30%, Waste Cooking Oil 20%), PWM (Pongamia 50%, Waste Cooking Oil 30%, Mahua 20%) and WMP (Waste Cooking Oil 50%, Mahua 30%, Pongamia 20%) compositions prepared on volume basis. This study discovered that WMP biodiesel physical properties match nearly to that of diesel fuel. It is the best alternative with moderate flash point temperature, fire point temperature, better thermal efficiency, density and acid value in comparison with MPW and PWM biodiesels.