COMPARATIVO ENTRE BIODIESEL DE DENDE E TUCUMA NO DESEMPENHO OPERACIONAL DE TRATOR AGRICOLA/COMPARATIVE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTURAL TRACTOR RUN ON BIODIESEL FROM DENDE AND BRAZILIAN PALM

• Published in: Engenharia na agricultura Vol. 20; no. 3; p. 234
• Main Authors: de Lima, Leomar Paulo, Lopes, Afonso, de Oliveira, Melina Cais Jejcic, Neves, Murilo Coelho Teodoro, Koike, Gilberto Hirotsugu Azevedo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.05.2012
• Subjects: Biodiesel; Brazil; Diesel; Diesel fuels; Farms; Palm; Smoke; Tractors
• ISSN: 1414-3984; 1414-3984

COMPARATIVE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTUR AL TRACTOR RUN ON BIODIESEL FROM DENDE AND BRAZILIAN PALM The feasibility of biodiesel as an alternative fuel depends on several factors, such as proportion of biodiesel in diesel and the encouragement of organizations related to production chain, in a way that contemplates economic, social and environmental aspects. This study was done to compare operational performance of farm tractors running on biodiesel from dende oil or Brazilian palm oil. The experiment was conducted at the Department of Agricultural Engineering, FCAV-Jaboticabal, SP, using a 4x2 TDA tractor with maximum engine power of 80.9 kW (110 hp). The experiment was done in completely randomized design in a 6 x 3 factorial, in which the factors were represented by proportions of biodiesel/diesel mix (B0, B5, B25, B50, B75 and B100, where the number indicates the percentage of biodiesel in diesel) and types of biodiesel (dende or Brazilian palm). We evaluated average traction power in the bar (kW), engine rotation (rpm), volumetric consumption (L h-1), consumption by weight (kg h-1), specific consumption (g kWh-1) and smoke opacity. The results showed that specific consumption increased when 50% biodiesel mix was used, but the type of biodiesel had no influence. The smoke opacity decreased with increasing proportions of biodiesel in the fuel, and the smoke opacity was still less with the Brazilian palm biodiesel.