Evaluation of glycerol tert-butyl ethers as renewable fuel additive

The aim of this research is the investigation of using glycerol tert-butyl ethers as a bio-renewable fuel additive to diesel-biodiesel blend in a diesel engine. In this context, an experimental study was carried out to synthesize glycerol tert-butyl ethers and investigate the effect of glycerol ethers on diesel engine performance and emissions. Glycerol tert-butyl ethers were synthesized by the etherification reaction of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in a high-pressure stainless steel batch reactor using Amberlyst-15 as solid acidic catalyst. Produced glycerol ethers were mixed by 2 vol.% with a biodiesel-diesel blend to investigate the glycerol ethers usage as a fuel additive in a diesel engine. Three test fuels were considered for the experiments: (i) diesel fuel, (ii) B20 (80 vol.% diesel + 20 vol.% corn oil biodiesel); (iii) BD+GTBEs (80 vol.% diesel + 18 vol.% corn oil biodiesel + 2 vol.% glycerol tert-butyl ethers). Some basic fuel properties of test fuels were determined prior to engine tests. Engine performance and emissions tests were performed on a single-cylinder research diesel engine at four brake power output. The results revealed that the addition of glycerol tert-butyl ethers in the fuel showed no significant effect on determined fuel properties and caused a decrease in engine performance and exhaust emissions except for CO emissions when compared to base diesel fuel. However, BD+GTBEs presented similar performance and emissions characteristics with B20, as a consequence, glycerol tert-butyl ethers have the possibility of being utilized as a bio-renewable fuel additive to diesel-biodiesel blends.

[1]  Peng Zhang,et al.  On the kinetics of multiphase etherification of glycerol with isobutene , 2019, Chemical Engineering Journal.

[2]  S. Çelebi,et al.  Assessment of acid strength in sodium-exchanged resin catalysts: Consequences on glycerol etherification with isobutene in batch and flow reactors , 2019, Molecular Catalysis.

[3]  Hakan Ramazan Özcan,et al.  Benzin İçin Oksijenli Yakıt Katkıları , 2018, Journal of Polytechnic.

[4]  A. Emiroğlu,et al.  Combustion, performance and exhaust emission characterizations of a diesel engine operating with a ternary blend (alcohol-biodiesel-diesel fuel) , 2018 .

[5]  Francisco M. Vigil,et al.  Quaternary blends of diesel, biodiesel, higher alcohols and vegetable oil in a compression ignition engine , 2018 .

[6]  B. Navarrete,et al.  Oxygenated fuel additives from glycerol valorization. Main production pathways and effects on fuel properties and engine performance: A critical review , 2017 .

[7]  C. Veloso,et al.  Identification of Ethyl and t-Butyl Glyceryl Ethers Using Gas Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry , 2017 .

[8]  Nadir Yilmaz,et al.  Optimization of diesel-butanol-vegetable oil blend ratios based on engine operating parameters. , 2016 .

[9]  S. Kaul,et al.  Efficacy of a bio-additive on the exhaust emissions of petrodiesel , 2015 .

[10]  E. Mancaruso,et al.  Investigation of the combustion in both metal and optical diesel engines using high-glycerol ethers/diesel blends , 2015 .

[11]  Carlo Beatrice,et al.  Mixture of glycerol ethers as diesel bio-derivable oxy-fuel: Impact on combustion and emissions of an automotive engine combustion system , 2014 .

[12]  T. Doǧu,et al.  Activity Comparison of Different Solid Acid Catalysts in Etherification of Glycerol with tert-Butyl Alcohol in Flow and Batch Reactors , 2013, Topics in Catalysis.

[13]  C. Beatrice,et al.  Glycerol Ethers Production and Engine Performance with Diesel/Ethers Blend , 2013, Topics in Catalysis.

[14]  Giorgio Baldinelli,et al.  Technologies for energetic exploitation of biodiesel chain derived glycerol: Oxy-fuels production by catalytic conversion , 2013 .

[15]  S. Saxena,et al.  Etherification of glycerol for improved production of oxygenates , 2013 .

[16]  C. Bîldea,et al.  Design and Control of Glycerol-tert-Butyl Alcohol Etherification Process , 2012, TheScientificWorldJournal.

[17]  T. Doǧu,et al.  Effects of Sorption Enhancement and Isobutene Formation on Etherification of Glycerol with tert-Butyl Alcohol in a Flow Reactor , 2012 .

[18]  J. Llorca,et al.  Boosted selectivity toward high glycerol tertiary butyl ethers by microwave-assisted sulfonic acid-functionalization of SBA-15 and beta zeolite , 2012 .

[19]  I. Fonseca,et al.  Valorization of glycerol into fuel additives over zeolites as catalysts , 2011 .

[20]  Suttichai Assabumrungrat,et al.  Glycerol ethers synthesis from glycerol etherification with tert-butyl alcohol in reactive distillation , 2011, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[21]  Jyh-Shyong Chang,et al.  Optimization on the etherification of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol , 2011 .

[22]  A. Mohamed,et al.  Recent progress on innovative and potential technologies for glycerol transformation into fuel additives: A critical review , 2010 .

[23]  N. Ozbay,et al.  Conversion of Biodiesel By-Product Glycerol to Fuel Ethers over Different Solid Acid Catalysts , 2010 .

[24]  Dipti Singh,et al.  Biodiesel production through the use of different sources and characterization of oils and their esters as the substitute of diesel: A review , 2010 .

[25]  Catia Cannilla,et al.  Catalytic etherification of glycerol by tert-butyl alcohol to produce oxygenated additives for diesel fuel , 2009 .

[26]  Sulaiman Al‐Zuhair,et al.  Production of biodiesel: possibilities and challenges , 2007 .

[27]  Reetta Karinen,et al.  New biocomponents from glycerol , 2006 .

[28]  Martin Bajus,et al.  Etherification of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol catalysed by ion-exchange resins , 2006 .

[29]  Martin Bajus,et al.  tert-Butylation of glycerol catalysed by ion-exchange resins , 2005 .

[30]  D. Yost,et al.  Evaluation of Di-Butoxy Glycerol (DBG) for Use As a Diesel Fuel Blend Component , 2003 .

[31]  Martin Bajus,et al.  ETHERIFICATION OF GLYCEROL , 2003 .

[32]  H. Noureddini,et al.  PRODUCTION OF ETHERS OF GLYCEROL FROM CRUDE GLYCEROL - THE BY- PRODUCT OF BIODLESEL PRODUCTION , 1998 .

[33]  John B. Heywood,et al.  Internal combustion engine fundamentals , 1988 .