Preparation of stable gasoil/sunflower oil fuel microemulsions by using ionic liquid based surfactants and investigation of their emission and engine performance

Abstract

Diesel fuels with dispersed water which is stabilized as tiny droplets has been found as a usable way to reduce the pollutants emitted from the exhaust of diesel engine. The addition of the proper surfactant and/or cosurfactants is necessary to stabilize the water droplets in diesel fuel, hence, water in oil (diesel fuel) emulsion or microemulsion (ME) will be formed. The surfactant selection for the fuel MEs is one of the challenging issues in this field, as it greatly affects the price as well as characteristic specifications of the produced fuel MEs. In the recent years, the use of ionic liquids which their properties can be adjusted by changing of the type of cation or anion; as surfactants has been considered.