(328d) Oxidation Behavior of Biodiesel Surrogate Soot: Examination Using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), HR-TEM and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

Topic: Catalysis and Reaction Engineering

2013 AIChE Annual Meeting

Global Challenges for Engineering a Sustainable Future

November 3-8,2013

Oxidation Behavior of Biodiesel Surrogate Soot: Examination using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), HR-TEM and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

J. D. Levinthal, C. Jaramillo, and J. S. Lighty

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA

C. K. Gaddam and R. Vander Wal

Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

Climate change is an increasingly urgent problem that has many consequences and just as many causes. Air pollution and climate change are strongly connected; therefore, the reduction of particulate matter due to soot production from diesel engines is of major concern. This can be accomplished with oxygenated fuel additives. Our study investigated   the effect of adding n-butanol to n-dodecane(10, 20, 30, 40, 60 mole%) to form a biodiesel surrogate, and how the n-butanol changes the production, kinetic rate constant, and the stability of the soot. Changes in soot oxidation kinetics, investigated using a Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), were investigated with comparisons to oxygen functional groups (X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and nanostructure (High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy) of the differing compositions. Results demonstrated that, with an increase in n-butanol, the kinetic rate constant was higher resulting in faster kinetics, up to approximately 30% n-butanol.  At this point, the rate constant became lower leading to a slower oxidation of the soot.  In all cases an increase in n-butanol decreased soot concentrations.