Ignitability of bio-fuels

Abstract

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to explore unconventional fuels by studying their ignitability. The depletion of non-renewable energy sources has accelerated the need to look for renewable energy sources. Biofuels have shown encouraging characteristics in terms of clean energy and availability. The ignitibility is studied with respect to activation energy (Ea.). There are very few research papers analyzing the activation energy (Ea.) of such fuels and even fewer describing the ignitability. The similar fuels are grouped together, and results are compared with each other. We take samples of different fuels and study Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Designate a suitable method to assess the Ea. and then implement it on TGA graphs. The conclusion reports the Ea. of different fuels and discusses insights on different patterns of Ea. of different fuel groups. We observe that the biodiesels have lower activation energy compared to their oils. The addition of halloysite slightly increases the activation energy of biomass but the additive is considered beneficial for the overall health of the boiler and furnace. The future work includes the study of different aspects of ignitability such as flame temperature, heat release rate, flash point, etc.