Optimization of Diesel and Crude Oil Degradation in a Ghanaian Soil Using Organic Wastes as Amendment

Soil contamination by hydrocarbons poses numerous environmental, health and agricultural problems. The degradation of these pollutants can occur naturally but very slowly. It is therefore generally necessary to stimulate this degradation by different means. Thus, this study aimed to improve the bio-degradation of diesel and crude oil in a Ghanaian soil by biostimulation. For this, the sampled soil was characterized by standard methods and contaminated with diesel and crude oil at a proportion of 1% (w/w). Then, contaminated soil samples were supplemented with biochar-compost, poultry manure or cow dung at the proportion of 10% (w/w). Periodically, fractions of these samples were taken to evaluate the density of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria (HUB) and the residual quantities of diesel or crude oil. The characteristics of the soil used show the need for supplementation for better degradation of hydrocarbons. The results of the study show that supplementing the soil with organic substrates increases HUB loads in soils contaminated by diesel and crude oil. They also show that the residual quantities of diesel and crude oil are generally significantly lower in supplemented soils (p = 0.048 and p < 0.0001 respectively). In addition, the study shows that degradation was generally greater in soils contaminated by diesel compared to those contaminated by crude oil, especially at the end of the study.

Effect of Palm Oil Biodiesel Blends on Engine Emission and Performance Characteristics in an Internal Combustion Engine

Increasing global environmental issues and depleting fossil fuel reserves has necessitated the need for alternative and sustainable fuel. In this paper, the effects of biodiesel and its blend on engine emission and performance characteristics in an internal combustion engine were analyzed. Biodiesel derived from the transesterification of raw palm oil was blended with diesel fuel at different proportions designated as PO5 (5% Biodiesel and 95% Diesel), PO10 (10% Biodiesel and 90% Diesel), PO15 (15% Biodiesel and 85% Diesel), PO20 (20% Biodiesel and 80% Diesel), PO50 (50% Biodiesel and 50% Diesel), PO85 (85% Biodiesel and 15% Diesel), and PO100 (100% Biodiesel). A Lombardini 2-cylinder, four-stroke direct injection diesel engine with a compression ratio of 22.8 was developed using Ricardo Wave software in which diesel, palm oil biodiesel blends and pure biodiesel are used in the model, and the obtained results were analysed and presented. The simulation was done under varying engine speeds of 1200 rpm to 3200 rpm at full load condition. Biodiesel and its blends are more environment-friendly and non-toxic when compared to diesel fuel;it also improves the mechanical efficiency of the engines, and above all can also lead to a reduction in poverty among rural dwellers. The obtained results showed that brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency increased with palm oil biodiesel blends as compared to diesel fuel which might be a result of biodiesel’s lower heating value, and the increase in thermal energy may be a result of the oxygenation of the biodiesel blend as compared to pure diesel. In terms of brake torque, palm oil biodiesel blends were lesser than diesel fuel. The CO, HC, and NOx emissions of palm oil biodiesel blends decreased significantly compared to that of pure diesel. From this study, palm oil biodiesel emits lesser emissions than diesel fuel and its performance characteristics are similar to diesel fuel. Therefore, palm oil biodiesel can be used without any modifications directly in a diesel engine. In addition, it can also be used as blends as an alternative and sustainable fuel, decreasing air pollution, and increasing environmental sustainability.

Influence of biosurfactant on the diesel oil remediation in soil-water system

There were six high diesel oil degrading bacteria strains isolated from the oil contaminated soil that collected from Linzi City. The strain YI was able to produce biosurfactant rhanmolipid when cultivated on diesel oil as carbon source. The critical micelle concentrations （CMC） of rhanmolipid in water and in the soil were measured respectively according to the correlation between the surface tension of the medium and the added rhamnolipid concentration. The results showed that the CMC of rhanmolipid in water was 65 mg/L, and was 185 mg/L in soil. The tests on diesel oil biodegradation were conducted with the addition of different concentrations of rhamnolipid in water and in soil respectively. When 0.01% rhanmolipid was added to water, the diesel oil degradation was enhanced. On the contrary, when the same concentration of rhanmolipid was added to the soil, the degradation of diesel oil was inhibited. The results suggested that the rhamnolipid could enhance the diesel oil biodegradation, indicating that the concentration of rhamnolipid was higher than the corresponding CMC in the medium. Kinetics parameters for the diesel oil biodegradation parameters such as biodegradation constant （λ）, coefficient of correlation （r） and half life （t1/2） in both tests were numerically analyzed in this paper, indicating that the moderate concentration of rhamnolipid in the medium could not only enhance the extent of diesel oil biodegradation but also shorten the time for oil remediation.

Volatilization behaviors of diesel oil from the soils

The volatilization of diesel oil, Shengli crude oil and 90# gasoline on glass surface of petri dishes were conducted at the ambient temperature of 25℃. Diesel oil evaporates in a power manner, where the loss of mass is approximately power with time. 90# gasoline evaporates in a logarithmic with time. Where as the volatilization of Shengli crude oil fit either the logarithmic or power equation after different time, and has similar R2. And the effects of soil type and diesel oil and water content on volatilization behavior in unsaturated soil were studied in this paper. Diesel oil and water content in the soils play a large role in volatilization from soils. Appropriate water helps the wicking action but too much water stops it. The wicking action behaves differently in four different types of soils in the same volatilization experiment of 18% diesel oil content and air-dry condition.

Engineering property test of kaolin clay contaminated by diesel oil

Engineering property of kaolin clay contaminated by diesel oil was studied through a series of laboratory experiments.Oil contents(mass fraction) of 4%,8%,12%,16% and 20% were selected to represent different contamination degrees,and the soil specimens were manually prepared through mixing and static compaction method.Initial water content and dry density of the test kaolin clay were controlled at 10% and 1.58 g/cm^3,respectively.Test results indicate that since part of the diesel oil will be released from soil by evaporation,the real water content should be derived through calibration of the quasi water content obtained by traditional test method.As contamination degree of the kaolin clay increases,both liquid limit and plastic limit decrease,but there's only a slight increase for plasticity index.Swelling pressure of contaminated kaolin clay under confined condition will be lowered when oil-content gets higher.Unconfined compressive strength(UCS) of the oil-contaminated kaolin clay is influenced by not only oil content but also curing period.Increase of contamination degree will continually lower UCS of the kaolin clay specimen.In addition,electrical resistivity of the contaminated kaolin clay with given water content decreases with the increase of oil content.However,soil resistivity is in good relationship with oil content and UCS.Finally,oil content of 8% is found to be a critical value for engineering property of kaolin clay to transit from water-dominated towards oil-dominated characteristics.

Analysis of Oil Consumption in Cylinder of Diesel Engine for Optimization of Piston Rings

The performance and particulate emission of a diesel engine are affected by the consumption of lubricating oil. Most studies on oil consumption mechanism of the cylinder have been done by using the experimental method, however they are very costly. Therefore, it is very necessary to study oil consumption mechanism of the cylinder and obtain the accurate results by the calculation method. Firstly, four main modes of lubricating oil consumption in cylinder are analyzed and then the oil consumption rate under common working conditions are calculated for the four modes based on an engine. Then, the factors that affect the lubricating oil consumption such as working conditions, the second ring closed gap, the elastic force of the piston rings are also investigated for the four modes. The calculation results show that most of the lubricating oil is consumed by evaporation on the liner surface. Besides, there are three other findings： （1） The oil evaporation from the liner is determined by the working condition of an engine; （2） The increase of the ring closed gap reduces the oil blow through the top ring end gap but increases blow-by; （3） With the increase of the elastic force of the ring, both the left oil film thickness and the oil throw-off at the top ring decrease. The oil scraping of the piston top edge is consequently reduced while the friction loss between the rings and the liner increases. A neural network prediction model of the lubricating oil consumption in cylinder is established based on the BP neural network theory, and then the model is trained and validated. The main piston rings parameters which affect the oil consumption are optimized by using the BP neural network prediction model and the prediction accuracy of this BP neural network is within 8%, which is acceptable for normal engineering applications. The oil consumption is also measured experimentally. The relative errors of the calculated and experimental values are less than 10%, verifying the validity of the simulation results. Applying the established simulation model and the validated BP network model is able to generate numerical results with sufficient accuracy, which significantly reduces experimental work and provides guidance for the optimal design of the piston rings diesel engines.

Synthesis of Ni_2P promoted trimetallic NiMoW/γ-Al_2O_3 catalysts for diesel oil hydrotreatment

The Ni2P promoted and γ-Al2O3 supported NiMoW sulfide catalyst consisting of 4 wt% Mo, 22 wt% W, 2 wt% Ni and 2.5 wt% Ni2P was synthesized by a co-impregnation method. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform （DRIFT） spectroscopy, NH3 temperature-programmed desorption （NH3-TPD） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results showed that Ni2P, Ni, Mo and W species were highly dispersed over γ-Al2O3. The hydrodesulfurization （HDS） of dibenzothiophene （DBT） showed that the presence of Ni2P brought a strong promotional effect on the HDS activity, which was further confirmed by the HDS and hydrodenitrogenation （HDN） of diesel oil under industrial conditions. The enhancement in HDN activity and stability by Ni2P addition could be attributed more to the effect of new active sites of Ni2P than that of acidity modification. The as-prepared Ni2P-NiMoW/γ-Al2O3 catalyst showed better hydrotreating performance than NiMoW/γ-Al2O3 and commercial catalysts.

Application of bacteria-plant association in bio-degradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil

The bacteria and plants were associated to remove diesel oil pollutants from soil.Three efficiently degrading bacteria(named strains Q10,Q14 and Q18,respectively) were isolated.Two plants(alfalfa and Indian mustard) were selected to form the association.Biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil was accelerated by bacteria-plants association.The main results are summarized as follows.The plants-bacteria association was more effective in biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil than in respective experiments carried out with plants or bacteria alone.Strain Q18-Indian mustard association resulted in the maximum diesel oil reduction(69.18%).The activities of catalase and polyphenol oxidase in soil were enhanced and microbial populations in soil,especially in rhizosphere,were also stimulated in the treatment of bacteria-plant association.Overall,the soil conditions might be improved by alfalfa or Indian mustard to benefit the growth of bacteria,which resulted in degradation of diesel oil pollutants more effective by the bacteria-plant association.The bacteria-plants association may be a better approach to the removal of diesel oil pollutants from soil.

The Role of Diesel Soot in the Tribological Behavior of 150SN Base Oil

The diesel soot was collected from diesel engine exhaust pipe. The morphology and structure of the collected diesel soot was characterized by HRTEM, XRD and XPS and its tribological behavior was investigated by a SRV IV oscillating reciprocating friction and wear tester. Test results showed that the tribological behavior of diesel soot was largely influenced by the test load. Under a low load, the diesel soot could reduce the wear volume of the disc. While under a high load, the diesel soot could reduce the friction coefficient of base oil. Based on the characterization of the worn scars by the SEM technique, the 3D surface profiler and the Raman spectroscopy, it was assumed that the core-shell structure of diesel soot with several graphitic layers played important roles. On one hand, its spherical and special structure could make it roll between friction pairs to reduce wear under a low load. On the other hand, its outer-shell graphite layers could be peeled off to form lubrication film to reduce friction under a high load and shear force.

A Laboratory Study of the Effect of Temperature on Densities and Viscosities of Binary and Ternary Blends of Soybean Oil, Soy Biodiesel and Petroleum Diesel Oil

The depletion of world petroleum reserves and the increased environmental concerns have stimulated the search for alternative sources for petroleum based fuel. The possibility of using vegetable oils as fuel has been recognized, however, due to its high viscosities and low volatilities makes it inefficient for most combustion engines and thus the need to get them chemically altered or transesterified to obtain fatty alkyl esters of the oil (biodiesel). In this study, binary and ternary blends of biodiesel were produced and the effect of temperature on their viscosity and density was investigated. Biodiesel was produced from soybean oil by transesterification of the oil with methanol using potassium hydroxide as a catalyst at a temperature of 60℃ in a batch reactor. Binary and ternary blends of the soy-biodiesel were prepared with soy bean oil and petroleum diesel fuel, respectively. Viscosities and densities of the binary and ternary blends were measured at different temperatures of 20℃ to 90℃ as to determine the effect of temperature on viscosities and densities of the blends. The properties of the soy-biodiesel produced were compared with ASTM standard and found to be within the limits. The results show that the viscosities and densities of both the binary and ternary blends are temperature dependent. The viscosities of binary and ternary blends decreased nonlinearly with temperature, while their densities decreased linearly with temperature. The variation of temperature with viscosity and density of the blends was correlated and the polynomial equation offered the best correlation between temperature and viscosity, while linear equation gave the best correlation between temperature and density. In conclusion, the efficiency of binary and ternary blends of biodiesel in combustion engines is dependent on the viscosity and density of the blends which are invariably temperature dependent.

Remediation of diesel oil contaminated sand by micro-emulsion

Micro-emulsion has unique advantages in repairing diesel oil contaminated sand due to its low interfacial tension and strong solubility.By Winsor phase diagram,it was found that with the increase of salinity,the phase of microemulsion transformed from WinsorⅠto WinsorⅢto WinsorⅡ.Under cryogenic electron microscope,it was observed that WinsorⅠwas O/W type,WinsorⅡwas W/O type,and WinsorⅢtype was bi-continuous type.The effect of inorganic salts,alcohol and temperature on the oil removal rate of diesel oil contaminated sand was investigated by static recovery of micro-emulsion precursor.The results showed that for the anionic microemulsion system,with the increase of salinity and alcohols,the oil yield of the upper phase increased first and then decreased,and the two components had a certain compensation effect.For non-ionic micro-emulsion system,with the increase of temperature,the oil yield in the upper phase rose first and then decreased.At the same time,the influence of leaching conditions on oil removal rate was investigated by one-dimensional sand column leaching experiment.It was found that for diesel oil contaminated sand with 15%oil content,when the formulation was 2.00 wt%SDBS,4.05 wt%n-butanol and 0.40 wt%sodium chloride,the optimum leaching conditions were leaching rate of 4 ml·min-1 and leaching amount of 400 ml.Under such conditions,the oil removal rate was up to 82.84%,that is,the oil content of the sand was reduced to 2.57%.Moreover,the micro-emulsion has good cyclicity,and it can still achieve high oil yield after six cycles.

Analysis of the Energy Efficiency of Diesel Oil Consumption in the Brazilian Iron Ore Mining Company

This paper aims to evaluate the diesel oil consumption between 2008 and 2015 in the production of iron ore in Brazil, creating correlations between energy intensity (production), economy and checking the impact of fuel prices on the commodity. During the analyzed period, the years 2008-2009 indicated economic crises, which interfered in the price and the commercialization of iron ore products. The physical intensity was 0.2% higher than the economic intensity. In the period from 2010 to 2014, economic activity remained more stable, with a decreasing trend, mainly due to the increase of iron ore prices. The physical intensity is much higher than the economic intensity influenced by the expansion of the Chinese economy. The year of 2014 indicated the end of the high iron ore price cycle and the beginning of supply and demand stabilization with consequent reduction in prices. In 2015, the market entered the stabilization phase, with a continuous reduction in unit production costs and transportation logistics. There was an abrupt change due to the strong increase of the economic intensity due to the fall of the international prices of iron ore. The diesel oil consumption plays a vital role in the scenario of cost reduction in iron ore production and a deeper analysis must be done in order to discover some options to change the energy matrix.

Effect of Biodiesel on Oxidation Stability, Detergency and Antiwear Ability of Diesel Oil

Different contents of biodiesel and petrodiesel were incorporated into diesel engine oils. The oxidative stability, detergency and antiwear performance of the formulated diesel oils were evaluated. The results indicated that, compared with petrodiesel, biodiesel was more liable to promote oxidation degradation of diesel oils, leading to worse oxidative stability, detergency and antiwear ability of the oils.

A Study of Lead Corrosion of Diesel Engine Oil

The effect of base oils,sulfur-containing multi-functional additives and dispersants in formulated diesel lubricants on lead corrosion was evaluated by a self-established high temperature corrosion bench test.Test lead coupons were analyzed by XPS to determine the resulting surface chemistry.The results showed a close correlation between the oxidation stability of base oil blend and the lead corrosion of formulated diesel lubricants.The zinc dialkyldithiophosphate(ZDDP)and zinc dialkyldithiocarbamate(ZDDC)have formed different protective films on lead coupon surfaces.A more or less amount of the protective film formed is the main factor affecting the degree of lead corrosion.The glassy zinc phosphates protective film formed by ZDDP is more effective than the zinc sulfides film formed by ZDDC.The interaction between dispersants and ZDDP had a significant impact on lead corrosion.

Experimental investigation of power output and soot emission for micro-emulsification diesel oil using for vehicle

The micro-emulsification diesel oil with water dopant of 5%,10% and 15% was prepared using the NAA micro-emulsification compound developed by the authors.The engine bench testing was carried out on the 485QB diesel engine.From the testing results of velocity,loading and exhaust gas,it can be seen that the power decreases and the fuel consumption increases using the micro-emulsification diesel oil.But based on the actual fuel consumption,the use of emulsification diesel with water dopant of 10% can get the effect of oil saving;while with water dopant of more than 15%,it doesn't work evidently.The investigation shows that using the micro-emulsification diesel oil,we can reduce the exhaust gas pollution and receive better environment benefit.

Effect of Resin Composite Materials Containing Tourmaline Powders Modified with Lanthanum Element on Diesel Oil Combustion

The resin composite materials (RCM) were prepared by the method of doping resin with tourmaline powders modified with lanthanum element. It was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), IR radiation determination, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR). The results showed that the RCM could radiate higher intensity of far infrared. The molecular movement was strengthened and the inter-molecular contacts were easily reduced when the diesel oil was dealt with the RCM. The effects of the RCM on the oil consumption and air pollutant emissions of oil-burning boiler were investigated. The oil-saving rate of the RBS·VH-1.5 boiler dealt with the RCM was 2.76%, and the reducing rates of CO and NO in the exhaust gas were 32.9% and 15.8%, respectively.

Effects of diesel oil on the polychaete Annelida in model benthic ecosystem

An experiment about the effect of diesel oil pollution on the model benthic ecosystem was conducted inthe land-based tank at the 3rd Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, in Xiamen, added with No.0 diesel oil at concentrations of 5, 25, 125, 625 mg/dm3 in water of series sub-tanks for 16 h. The changes in polychaete community were studied in the period of two weeks with results that though all concentrations did not basically altered the population structure and composition, the total biomass decreased significantly and individualstended to be smaller in size. The average weight of individual decreased with the increase of diesel pollutant stress.

Experimental Study on Performance and Combustion Analysis of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Diesel and Jatropha Oil Blended with Heptane

This work focuses on blending Jatropha oil with diesel fuel and heptane to improve its physico-chemical characteristics for production of blends and their use as fuel in a diesel engine. The influence of the heptane content was evaluated by comparing the results obtained from the engine (performance and combustion parameters) with those of the diesel fuel and straight Jatropha oil. The results obtained show an improvement in engine performance especially at low loads. Specifically, a reduction in the specific fuel consumption of the engine is obtained when the heptane content in the mixture is around 10% compared to that obtained with pure Jatropha oil. The best results were obtained with the blend containing 70% Jatropha oil, 20% diesel fuel and 10% heptane (J70G20H10). Overall engine efficiency and exhaust gas temperatures are comparable for all fuels tested. Engine combustion parameters are improved with J70G20H10. The results obtained with J70G20H10 are close to those of the engine operating on diesel fuel. The cyclic dispersion is low with coefficients of variation of the indicated mean effective pressure (COVIMEP) whose values are less than 10%. The lowest values of the COVIMEP are obtained with the blend J70G20H10.

Cocracking and Separate Cracking of Straight-Run Gasoline and Light Gas Oil

This paper presents experimental results of cocracking of straight-run gasoline (SRG) and light gaS oil (LGO) in an improved pulsed-micro-pyrolyzer. It is shown that there are negative opergistic effect on the yields and selectivities of ethylene and propylene in cocracking. The difference in coking tendencies betWeen the cocracking and the separate cracking is compared as well.