Performance and Emissions Characteristics of Philippine CME-Diesel Blends

Deliberations in the Philippines are underway on the shift to 5% (B5) CME-diesel blend from the current B2 blend. In support to said deliberations, a fuel economy and gaseous emissions study of B1–B50 CME-diesel blends was conducted using an in-use Asian utility vehicle running on the Japanese 10–15 Mode drive cycle. Results show that adding CME up to 20% by volume (B20) has a small effect on the heating values, specific fuel consumption (SFC), mileage, and maximum power. Relative to neat diesel, the increase in SFC, and lower mileage and power beyond B20 were attributed to lower heating values at higher blends. CO was practically constant while THC and NOx generally decreased with increasing CME blends. The CO and THC trends were ascribed to overall lean mixtures and increased amount of oxygenated fuel at higher CME blends. The decreasing NOx trend needs further investigation as it seemed contrary to other studies. Based on these results, the shift to B5 would insignificantly affect fuel economy and likely lessen THC and NOx emissions. B20 yielded the most emissions reduction without performance loss.