Improvement of diesel engine fuel combustion by addition of wood essential oils

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24580478
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Boundary agriculture
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: OHTANI Yoshito 高知大学, 教育研究部自然科学系, 教授 (30253339)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ディーゼルエンジン排ガス / Particulate Matter / NOx / 樹木エッセンシャルオイル / ディーゼル燃料添加物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The PM (particulate matters) and NOX in the diesel engine exhaust gas are largely generated, and the latter two indicate trade-off relationship one another. In this research, 5 kinds of tree essential oils were added into the diesel fuel and the diesel engine was driven. Then PM, NOx, COx concentrations of exhaust gas were investigated. By adding the tree essential oils, number of PM in the exhaust gas was significantly reduced, it means that combustion efficiency was significantly increased. On the other hand, the concentrations of COx were little changed, however, NOx had slightly descending tendency. The observation of PM by SEM elucidated that PM sizes were enlarged by adding the tree essential oils into the diesel engine fuel. So the enlargement of the PM may result in the reduction of number of PM in the exhaust gas. Simultaneous reduction of both PM and NOx can be achieved by addition of tree essential oils.

Free Research Field

木材科学