Environmental Performance Improvement of Ammonium Hydroxide-Diesel Blends via Carbon Nanotube Catalysis and Electrostatic Nanoparticle Filtration

This study explores the integration of ammonium hydroxide with diesel fuel, focusing on enhancing combustion efficiency and reducing emissions. The research addresses the challenge of ammonia's high activation energy during decomposition by introducing a carbon nanotube catalyst, which significantly improves catalytic performance. Additionally, an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) was developed to capture nanoparticles from engine exhaust, preventing their release into the atmosphere. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR, providing insights into their structural and surface properties. Various blends of ammonium hydroxide (5% and 10%) with diesel fuel, enriched with 100 ppm of nanocatalyst, were tested in a diesel engine under different conditions. The results showed notable improvements in engine efficiency and fuel consumption, reducing by 8.2% and 7.9%, respectively. Emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides decreased by 19.7%, 10.7%, and 5.6%, respectively, demonstrating the potential of the nanocatalyst-enhanced ammonium hydroxide fuel blend. Furthermore, a comparative characterization of nanoparticles synthesized and those collected from the ESP plates confirms the ESP’s effectiveness in capturing degraded nanoparticles. This emphasizes the critical role of advanced filtration technologies in mitigating environmental pollution from engine exhaust. The study’s findings contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop cleaner, more efficient fuel technologies.