The Potential of Parsley Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel in Diesel Engines

Abstract

The search for a perfect replacement for fossil fuels is as a response to the decrease in the available energy owing to the overdependence on the fossil fuels as well as the harmful effects on human life due to the release of toxic gases into the air as it burns in engines. The experimental study carried out in this article evaluates the possibility of parsley biodiesel as a suitable substitute for petro-diesel. The catalytic conversion of a novel feedstock with a homogenous catalyst was performed with specific ratios of catalyst amount (1 wt %), temperature (60 °C), alcohol to oil ratio (6:1) for 30 minutes reaction time. However, a biodiesel yield of 94.70% was derived from the adopted parametric conditions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized to characterize the produced biodiesel. Furthermore, the fuel characteristics of biodiesel were within the specifications of the ASTM D6751. Therefore, Parsley biodiesel can be utilized as diesel fuel substitute.