Investigation of poultry fatty acid methyl ester for automotive application

Considering the escalating cost of fossil fuels and growing influence of sustainability, the need to seek alternative fuels in the transportation sector is increasing exponentially. This ignited a spark for change that lead researchers to look beyond typical alternative fuels and focus on Fatty Acids Methyl Esters, in particular poultry FAME, due to their high calorific value, widespread availability, and relative low cost. The authors investigated the injection and combustion of poultry FAME 20-50% by weight in diesel no.2 mixtures in a small indirect injection diesel engine, in order to evaluate its' effectiveness for application in the automotive industry. The analysis of the combustion characteristics of the poultry FAME mixtures revealed similar values to that of diesel, with the only varying quantity being a slight increase in fuel consumption. This validates the hypothesis that the feedstock of poultry FAME is an excellent alternative fuel for application in the automotive industry.