Integrated Pretreatment of B40 Biodiesel in Steam Power Plants: Operational Mitigation, K3L Implementation, and Professional Ethics

Lia Nur Octavia; Aries Susanty

doi:10.63922/ijevss.v5i04.6394

Lia Nur Octavia Universitas Diponegoro
Aries Susanty Universitas Diponegoro

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i04.6394

Keywords: B40 biodiesel, integrated pretreatment, 2-EHN, ceramic membrane, thermal conditioning, K3L, steam power plant

Abstract

The implementation of a 40% biodiesel blend (B40) in steam power plants presents operational challenges associated with fuel viscosity, hygroscopicity, oxidation stability, and particulate contamination. This study evaluates an integrated pretreatment approach combining additive treatment, ceramic membrane separation, and thermal conditioning to improve B40 fuel quality and mitigate potential operational risks in power generation systems. Experimental tests were conducted by varying the 2-Ethylhexyl nitrate (2-EHN) additive concentration at 200–1100 ppm, applying ceramic membrane filtration with a 0.01 μm pore size at 1–2 bar, and heating B40 to 40–50°C. Fuel quality was evaluated based on viscosity, cetane number, TFr, and particulate concentration, while combustion-related emissions were assessed using a 9-hp diesel engine. The results showed that heating B40 to 50°C reduced viscosity from 4.6 to 3.6 mPa·s, indicating improved fuel-flow characteristics. Additive treatment also substantially reduced measured particulate concentrations, with reductions of 77%, 87%, and 95% for particles ≥4, ≥6, and ≥14 μm, respectively, at 1000 ppm. The cetane number showed a favorable response at selected additive concentrations, particularly within the 400–900 ppm range. Combined additive treatment and thermal conditioning produced improvements in several fuel-quality parameters. At 100% engine load, CO emissions were approximately 250–270 mg/m³, while NOx decreased from approximately 740 to 510 mg/m³ under the tested conditions. From a K3L perspective, the integrated treatment requires controls for chemical handling, pressurized filtration, fuel heating, leakage, fire hazards, and waste management. Overall, the findings indicate that integrated pretreatment has potential to mitigate key B40 operational challenges, although further validation under actual PLTU operating conditions is required.

References

Christensen, E. D., & McCormick, R. L. (2023). Water contamination impacts on biodiesel antioxidants and storage stability. Energy & Fuels, 37(7), 5179–5188. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2c03911
Do Amaral, B. E., De Rezende, D. B., & Pasa, V. M. D. (2020). Aging and stability evaluation of diesel/biodiesel blends stored in amber polyethylene bottles under different humidity conditions. Fuel, 279, 118289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2020.118289
Handika, R. A., Istikhoratun, T., & Buchori, L. (2024). Kajian peranan dan penerapan kode etik profesi keinsinyuran dalam praktik pekerjaan bidang sipil dan lingkungan di Indonesia untuk meningkatkan efisiensi dan perlindungan keselamatan kerja. Jurnal Profesi Insinyur Indonesia, 2(3), 201–211. https://doi.org/10.14710/elipsoida.%Y.23056
Hidayat, J. A., & Sugiarto, B. (2020). Characteristic, structure, and morphology of carbon deposit from biodiesel blend. Evergreen, 7(4), 609–614. https://doi.org/10.5109/4150514
Huang, Y., et al. (2020). Estimation of kinematic viscosity of biodiesel fuels from fatty acid methyl ester composition and temperature. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 65(5), 2476–2485. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jced.9b01127

Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral Republik Indonesia. (2024). Keputusan Menteri Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral Nomor 341.K/EK.01/MEM.E/2024 tentang pemanfaatan bahan bakar nabati jenis biodiesel sebagai campuran bahan bakar minyak jenis minyak solar dalam kerangka pembiayaan oleh BPDPKS sebesar 40%.
Komariah, L. N., Arita, S., Prianda, B. E., & Dewi, T. K. (2023). Technical assessment of biodiesel storage tank: A corrosion case study. Journal of King Saud University—Engineering Sciences, 35(3), 232–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksues.2021.03.016
Longanesi, L., Pereira, A. P., Johnston, N., & Chuck, C. J. (2022). Oxidative stability of biodiesel: Recent insights. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 16, 265–289. https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2306
Masudi, A., Muraza, O., Jusoh, N. W. C., & Ubaidillah. (2023). Improvements in the stability of biodiesel fuels: Recent progress and challenges. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(6), 14104–14125. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-25048-4
Mishra, S., Bukkarapu, K. R., & Krishnasamy, A. (2021). A composition based approach to predict density, viscosity and surface tension of biodiesel fuels. Fuel, 285, 119056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2020.119056
Moreira, W. M., da Igreja, G., Viotti, P. V., Baptista, C. M. S. G., Gimenes, M. L., Gomes, M. C. S., & Pereira, N. C. (2020). Soybean biodiesel purification through an acid-system membrane technology: Effect of oil quality and separation process parameters. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 95(7), 1962–1969. https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.6395
Mufidah, Z., Tiguna, A. H., & Haryanto, A. (2024). Stability of pure biodiesel (B100), biodiesel mixture (B40), and petroleum diesel (B0) due to storage. Jurnal Teknik Pertanian Lampung, 13(3), 900–913. https://doi.org/10.23960/jtep-l.v13i3.900-913
Nghia, N. T., Khoa, N. X., Cho, W., & Lim, O. (2022). A study the effect of biodiesel blends and the injection timing on performance and emissions of common rail diesel engines. Energies, 15(1), 242. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15010242
Ostojčić, M., Brkić, S., Tišma, M., Zelić, B., & Budžaki, S. (2020). Membrane filtration as an environmentally friendly method for crude biodiesel purification. Kemija u Industriji, 69(3–4), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2019.049
Pasae, Y., Salla, Y., & Bulo, L. (2020). Properties of biodiesel purified by membrane technology. Asian Journal of Applied Chemistry Research, 5(4), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajacr/2020/v5i430142
Peraturan Presiden Republik Indonesia. (2022). Peraturan Presiden Republik Indonesia Nomor 112 Tahun 2022 tentang percepatan pengembangan energi terbarukan untuk penyediaan tenaga listrik.
Santhosh, K., Kumar, G. N., & Bedar, P. (2024). A novel approach to enhance the combustion quality of C5 alcohol with 2-ethylhexyl nitrate as a cetane enhancer in common rail direct ignition diesel engine. Journal of Cleaner Production, 446, 141314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141314
Simsek, S., Uslu, S., & Simsek, H. (2022). Comparison of the changes in diesel engine characteristics caused by the addition of 2-EHN cetane improver according to the use of diesel and second-generation biodiesel. Petroleum Science and Technology, 41(23), 2190–2203. https://doi.org/10.1080/10916466.2022.2113097
Topayung, C. Y., Nuryadin, S., & Sentanuhady, J. (2024). Karakteristik dan temperatur nyala api pembakaran biodiesel berdasarkan kadar fatty acid methyl esters. Journal of Mechanical Design and Testing, 6(1), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.22146/jmdt.95190
Wulandari, D. A., Hadiyanto, H., & Rizal Isnanto, R. (2023). Implementasi etika profesi dan K3L pada kegiatan operasi dan pemeliharaan Bendungan Jatibarang. Jurnal Profesi Insinyur Indonesia, 1(6), 207–215. https://doi.org/10.14710/jpii.2023.18534