Performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel fuel from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae

In this study, the performance and emission characteristics of produced biodiesel from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae are investigated for the first time. To achieve reliable results, all production stages including cultivation, harvesting, oil extraction, and transesterification are executed in the current study. The cetane number and heating value of the produced biodiesel from Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae were 54 and 40.2 MJ kg−1, respectively. The results of emission analysis showed that the use of B10 and B20 biofuels emitted less CO, HC, and NOx pollutants than diesel fuel (the average reductions of CO, HC, and NOx emissions for B10 are 9.21%, 7.32%, and 2.89%, and for B20 are 23.54%, 18.28%, and 6.97%, respectively); however, these biofuels resulted in more O2 and CO2 relative to the pure diesel fuel (the average increments of O2 and CO2 emissions for B10 are 1.55% and 1.33%, and for B20 are 3.46% and 5.43%, respectively). Also, the engine output power with B20 fuel decreased averagely 2.64%, and the BSFC increased 3.46% compared to pure diesel fuel. The results demonstrate the considerable capability of Dunaliella tertiolecta microalgae to be the source of a clean fuel.