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Biodiesel, which is made from the methyl ester of vegetable oils, is becoming more and more popular as an alternative fuel for compression ignition engines because it is good for the environment and can be used as a replacement fuel without making major changes to the engine. Biodiesel offers several key advantages, including its ready availability, environment friendly and its ability to contribute to lower carbondioxide levels in the atmosphere. An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)-equipped Kirloskar compression ignition engine is used in this research to examine the influence of micro-explosions on the reduction of nitrogen oxides and smoke. The fuel chosen is Karanji oil methyl ester. The experiment involved varying the exhaust gas quantity in increments of 5%, ranging from 5% to 15%, as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is recognized as an effective technique for reducing NOx emissions. Similarly, the study also adjusted the water content, ranging from 5% to 15% in 5% increments.

Oxygenated fuels like biodiesel and ethanol possess prominent characteristics as an alternative fuel for diesel engines. However, these fuels are corrosive in nature and hygroscopic. This might results in material incompatibility with the fuel supply system of an automobile. The filter consists of a filter membrane that that traps the contaminants from the fuel and prevents them from entering into the combustion chamber. The operational hours of the filter membrane depend on the quality of fuel employed. The conventional filter is designed for fossil diesel operation and hence the filter life might degrade earlier in the case of oxygenated fuels like biodiesel or ethanol. The proposed work focuses on the impact of oxygenated fuels, viz. karanja and ethanol blended karanja biodiesel on the filter membrane and its flow characteristics. Two tests, pressure difference and contaminant retention test are carried out in accordance with Japanese standard D1617:1998.

Biodiesel is an emerging alternative to fossil diesel for use in compression ignition engines. From environmental standpoint, an increase in nitric oxide (NO) emission from biodiesel fueled engine has been a major concern. Several investigations suggest the role of unsaturated methyl ester as a contributor to biodiesel-NO penalty. The chemical simplicity of biodiesel compared to fossil diesel makes their composition effects amenable to a systematic analysis. In this study, the effects of saturated palm and unsaturated karanja (Pongamia pinnata) biodiesels and their blends (Bio-mix) on compression ignition engine performance, combustion and NO emission are investigated. The combustion and emission characteristics of these fuels are compared with fossil diesel that the neat biodiesel fuels result in improved exhaust emissions except NO with a penalty in fuel economy.