SYNTHESIS OF BIO- ETHANOL/GASOLINE BLENDS AND ITS EFFECT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A SPARK IGNITION ENGINE

Abstract

Bio-ethanol produced from pineapple and pawpaw peels through biochemical reaction called fermentation by Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiac was investigated for its suitability in running petrol engines. Gasoline blended with 10-50% of the extracted ethanol at intervals of 10% was compared with pure gasoline. Some physical and chemical properties of viscosity, calorific value, specific gravity, octane number and flash point of the bio-ethanol gasoline blends were determined. The performance characteristics and exhaust emission test were also conducted using Petter Paiw single cylinder spark ignition engine and IMR 1400 gas analyzer on the blended fuel samples. It was found that higher fuel consumption and reduced volumetric efficiency were observed with increase in the blended fuel compared with the reference fuel and a marginal increase in brake thermal efficiency and reduction in the exhaust gases of CO, NOx, SOx  and HC.