ABSTRACT

In the modern day, there is a huge demand for transportation systems, and this demand is increasing
day by day, as a result of the ever-increasing number of vehicles and engines. However, the
conventional sources of fuel have always been limited in quantity and are also being depleted at
an alarming rate. Therefore, alternative fuels are needed to put an end to this problem. Methyl
esters, derived from vegetable oils, are known as Biodiesel. Biodiesel is the best alternative fuel
for Diesel engines due to its ability to be produced domestically and biodegradability. It can be
used directly in Diesel engines without any modifications. The objective of this paper was to study
the scope of neem oil as biodiesel. Neem oil was chosen due to it being one of the most readily
available and non-edible plants, and was extracted using a hot screw press machine and
transesterified after acid pretreatment. After transesterification, it was blended with diesel in a ratio
of 20:80 by volume. The flash point, fire point, kinematic viscosity, density and gross calorific
value were calculated, after which the fuels effect on the performance and emissions of a Diesel
engine was evaluate using a computerized test rig, without and with the use of fuel additives.