Authors
Karthikeyan Sathasivam, Thirusuthan Veluchamy
Published in
Environmental science and pollution research international. Aug 09, 2026. Epub Aug 09, 2026.
Abstract
There is growing interest in alternative fuels that can help to lower the levels of unwanted emissions generated by compression ignition engines, due to concerns regarding air quality and environmental sustainability. Particulate matter (PM) is one of the major pollutants generated during the use of fossil fuels and has been linked to the health impacts of pollution and is responsible for pollution in the atmosphere and climate change. The emission of PM from B10, B15, B20, and B25 biodiesel blends produced from microalgae and low-sulfur diesel (S10) was compared from the Kirloskar diesel engine in this study. The study not only focused on quantifying the emissions of PMs but also assessed the potential of biofuels produced from microalgae as a cleaner and more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fossil fuels. The PM was collected with a textile-based collection element inside a deceleration chamber that mimics exhaust collection. The weight of the collection element was measured prior to and after sampling to calculate the mass of PM deposited. The particle samples collected were then analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the purpose of studying the surface morphology, particle deposition, and agglomeration behavior. The analysis of volatile compounds and precise mass measurements was supported by precision weighing balances and drying ovens. The coated collection element was chosen for its low cost, ease of handling, and ability to effectively retain particles. The results indicated that there was a reduction in the emission of PMs from the biodiesel blends B10 to B25, ranging from 10.44% to 69.79% when compared with the S10 diesel sample. The heavier particulate deposition in S10, B15, and B25 was found through SEM-based morphological analysis, and relatively lower was found for B10 and B20. The results show that microalgae-based biodiesel can lead to substantial reduction of particulate emission from the conventional low-sulfur diesel. The novelty of this study is the use of the biodiesel blends derived from microalgae in a Kirloskar diesel engine for the PM reduction analysis along with gravimetric quantification of PM and SEM-based morphological characterization. This study is different from many studies conducted on biodiesel emissions, which were mostly directed at gaseous emissions or conventional feedstocks, by comparing the reduction of particulate mass with the surface-level morphology of PMs when using microalgae biodiesel. This is an integrated approach that highlights the potential of microalgae-based biodiesel as a cleaner alternative fuel with environmental benefits over petroleum diesel.
PMID:
42571677
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Aug 2026.
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