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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Experimental investigation of waste cooking oil and karanja oil biodiesel–diesel blends in a single-cylinder four-stroke compression ignition engine
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1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Hyderabad, Telangana,
India
AJWEP, 026240165 https://doi.org/10.36922/AJWEP026240165
Received: 9 June 2026 | Revised: 17 June 2026 | Accepted: 2 July 2026 | Published online: 14 August 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract
The growing demand for sustainable fuels has created opportunities to explore biodiesel as a substitute for conventional diesel fuel. In this study, we investigated the engine performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel blends derived from waste cooking oil (WCO) and karanja oil (KO) using a single-cylinder, four-stroke compression ignition engine. The emission characteristics of WCO and KO diesel blends were analyzed at different engine loads (0–12 kg), corresponding to 25% (3 kg), 50% (6 kg), 75% (9 kg), and 100% (12 kg) of the maximum load. The biodiesel blend ratios of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, and compared with pure diesel operation. Biodiesels were produced through transesterification and tested under varying engine loads at a constant speed. Parameters such as brake thermal efficiency and mechanical efficiency were measured and compared. No substantial variations in brake thermal efficiency or mechanical efficiency were observed between pure diesel and the biodiesel blends; therefore, this study primarily focused on evaluating the emission characteristics. Emission parameters, such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and smoke, were analyzed. The results indicate that both WCO and KO blends can be effectively utilized in compression ignition engines. Compared with pure diesel, biodiesel blends produced lower carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and smoke emissions, although a slight increase in nitrogen oxide emissions was observed. WCO- and KO-derived biodiesels show promise as sustainable alternatives to diesel fuel for compression ignition engines.
Keywords
Waste cooking oil
Karanja oil
Biodiesel–diesel blends
Compression ignition engine
Engine performance
Emission characteristics
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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