Performance of a Diesel Engine Fueled by Blends of Diesel Fuel and Synthetic Fuel Derived from Waste Car Tires

Waste car tires are a significant burden on the environment. One way to manage them is through energy recovery by burning them in the furnaces of combined heat and power plants or cement plants, which from an environmental point of view is not a favorable solution. Another way to use waste tires is to produce liquid fuels, which can be used as pure fuels or components added to conventional fuels. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research aimed at evaluating the physical and chemical properties of tire-derived fuels relative to conventional fuels. It is also important to determine the impact of feeding engines with synthetic fuels, regarding their operational and environmental performance. In this article, the physicochemical properties of typical diesel fuel, synthetic fuel derived from waste tires (WT) and its blends with diesel fuel (DF) in shares of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% v/v were studied. Tests were also conducted on an internal combustion engine with a common rail injection system (CR IC) engine to determine operational and emission parameters. The results showed, among other things, a deterioration relative to diesel fuel of such parameters as cold filter plugin point (CFPP) and flash point (FP). At the same time, a favorable effect of synthetic fuel addition was noted on hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.