Experimental investigation of the effect of Nephelium Lappaceum seed biodiesel to the automotive diesel engine performance

To decrease the reliance of fossil fuel and at the same time utilizing organic waste,
an investigation regarding the viability of Nephelium lappaceum (rambutan fruit) seed oil as biodiesel has been conducted. The investigation was carried out by comparing the fuel characteristics of Nephelium lappaceum seed biodiesel with pure petro-diesel produced in Indonesia. The outcome of this investigation suggested that Nephelium lappaceum seed biodiesel has comparable fuel characteristics as that of commercial diesel fuel. Further comparison was also conducted by testing these fuels in diesel engine. The series of tests compared these fuels in terms of fuel consumption, brake mean effective pressure, thermal efficiency, torque, and power. The result indicates that Nephelium lappaceum seed biodiesel has better engine performance than pure petro-diesel. Overall, the output of this study proves the feasibility of Nephelium lappaceum seed biodiesel as environmentally friendly substitute for pure petro-diesel fuel in Indonesia.