Karnataka - Bidar   

This project may boost development of bio-fuel

Rishikesh Bahadur Desai

Perfect blend: Students of Rural Engineering College, Bhalki, demonstrating their project.

Bidar: Students of the Rural Engineering College in Bhalki have perfected a method to use non-edible vegetable oils as bio-diesel for motor vehicle engines and irrigation pump sets.

Vilas Kumar, Abhimany Kumar, Abhinith Kumar and Khurshid Ahmed have worked on the project.

The project has been selected for the Appropriate Technology Award at a national-level science exhibition held recently in Gulbarga. The students used mahua oil, also known as butter tree oil, to run the engines with a blend of diesel.

Earlier experiments elsewhere to run engines using this oil with diesel blend had resulted in inferior engine performance owing to high viscosity, low volatility and smoky exhaust.

These problems have been solved by these students by preheating the oil to a particular temperature and then blending it with diesel at a definite proportion. The project has brought out some interesting details. It was demonstrated that the engine need not be modified in any way if this formula of preheating and blending was used. This also reduced the viscosity and the fuel moved easily through engine parts. Engine performance on parameters such as break power, fuel consumption and exhaust emission improved significantly.

Project guide assistant professor Sharanappa Godiganur said this experiment would boost the development of bio-fuel from non-edible vegetable oils.

Head of the mechanical engineering department M. Chandrashekar said it would strengthen rural economy by increasing income of farmers and create employment opportunities to rural youth.

Principal of the college B.B. Lal said farmers could become self-reliant in fuel as they could use such blended bio-fuel to run irrigation pump sets and tractors.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

This project may boost development of bio-fuel
‘Strengthen BJP at the grassroots’

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu