Optimisation of biomass-derived Propanol-Gasoline blends for sustainable bioenergy utilisation using response surface methodology

초록

In recent times, bio-derived alcoholic fuels have gained attention as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels for internal combustion engines, contributing to the global transition towards a low carbon energy economy. While methanol and ethanol have been widely studied, this research utilizes propanol, a promising biofuel derived from biomass via fermentation or thermochemical processes, that remains relatively underexplored in engine applications. This study experimentally investigates the performance and emission of a 4-stroke, single-cylinder spark ignition engine using varying propanol-gasoline blends (0 %-18 % of propanol) across engine speeds of 1700-3800 rpm under fixed loads of 10 and 20 psi. Using response surface methodology (RSM) for systematic analysis and optimisation, the results demonstrate that increased propanol content enhances combustion due to its oxygen content and higher latent heat of vaporisation, leading to reduced hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions alongside improvements in torque, brake power, and brake thermal efficiency (BTE). The optimum engine settings are a propanol content of 18 %, an engine load of 20 psi and an engine speed of 3436.83 rpm. According to these optimised operating conditions, the engine torque, brake power, BTE and brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were 8.23 Nm, 2.94 kW, 21.76 % and 0.446 kg/kWh, respectively. At this point, the CO, CO2, HC and NOx emissions were 4.72 %, 9.54 %, 53.92 ppm and 1679.27 ppm, respectively. Model validation showed less than 3 % error with a high desirability value of 0.861, demonstrating RSM's effectiveness for propanol-gasoline blend optimisation. These findings establish biomass-derived propanol as a viable renewable biofuel for sustainable transportation, supporting reduced fossil fuel dependence and climate change mitigation.

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