The 1st International Conference on Alternative Fuels: Future and Challenges, Kayseri, Turkey, 2 - 04 December 2016, vol.1, pp.10
Production of biofuels from vegetable oil represents an important area of research. This is due to the combined effect of recycling vegetable oil to energy as well as the production of biofuel products that could reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. It is well-known that fossil fuels are expected to deplete in the coming few decades. Moreover, the negative effects of burning fossil fuels on the environment have been witnessed. Turkey produces high amount of vegetable oil every year. Therefore, producing biofuels from vegetable oil can be a very interesting area to the policy maker in Turkey. This paper aims to study the possibility of vegetable oil to be used to produce useful energy. The experimental work starts with biodiesel production from canola oil, followed by characterizing the properties of the product and comparing them with ASTM D6752 biodiesel standards to verify the quality of the product. The second part of the study deals with blending canola biodiesel with diesel, butanol, ethanol and methanol in different fractions. This aims to establish a fundamental basis for the effectiveness of ternary fuel blends. The obtained results indicate that canola oil must be considered as a potential source for biofuel production in Turkey. Secondly, blending of biodiesel with diesel, methanol, ethanol and butanol can provide an opportunity to develop an alternative fuel product that has an enhanced physical and chemical properties. The paper concludes that further investigation on the quality of the developed products shall be examined in CI engines to evaluate engine and emissions performance.