Abstract
Several research studies have shown that biodiesel is a perfect replacement for diesel fuel, owing to its many
beneficial characteristics. However, their negative impact such as low energy generation increased fuel consumption,
and NOx emissions need remediation. Hence, the utilization of green nano-additives to boost the
quality of biodiesel and improve its performance and emission characteristics. Moreover, green chemistry-based
nanoparticle synthesis has shown great promise in the past few years as a cost-effective as well as an ecologically
friendly replacement for chemically derived nanoparticles. The goal of this research is to investigate the impact
of a green manufactured nanoparticle added to Parsley biodiesel on the behavior and emissions properties of a
diesel engine. A green technique was adopted by employing Prunus domestica leaf extract as a reducing and
stabilizing agent. Copper (II) nitrate trihydrate was employed as the precursor of choice for the generation of
CuO nanoparticles. Various analytical approaches were adopted to evaluate the chemical composition, structural
characteristics as well as crystallinity of the obtained nanoparticles. Thereafter, the nanoparticles were dispersed
in various proportions (50 and 100 ppm) into the B20 parsley biodiesel blend. The results obtained showed that
at maximum engine load, the BTE for B20, BC50, and BC100 test samples were 32.5, 33.0%, and 32.9%
respectively. The BTE of the BC50 fuel was found to be higher than those of the other tested fuel samples. In
addition, BSFC was reduced to a substantial amount of 3.28% for BC50 compared to the B0 fuel sample.
Furthermore, the BC50 blend reduced emissions of CO, HC, and NOx by 5.7%, 1.6%, and 4.7% but higher
emissions of carbon dioxide (2.15% increase) in comparison to B0. Overall, the BC50 fuel blends better improved
the performance and emission characteristics of the tested engine.