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Biodiesel is mono alkyl ester derived from vegetable oils through transesterification reaction and can be used as an alternative to mineral diesel. In the present research, methyl ester of rice-bran oil (ROME) is produced through transesterification of rice-bran oil using methanol in presence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) catalyst. Various properties like viscosity, density, flash point, calorific value of the biodiesel thus prepared are characterized and found comparable to diesel. On the basis of previous research for performance, emission and combustion characteristics, a 20% blend of ROME (B20) was selected as optimum biodiesel blend for endurance test. Endurance test of 100 hours was conducted on a medium duty direct injection transportation diesel engine. Tests were conducted under predetermined loading cycles in two phases: engine operating on mineral diesel and engine fuelled with 20% biodiesel blend.

Rising scarcity of conventional fuels has forced the development of bio-origin alternative fuels for the existing power generating machinery. These new alternative fuels need to be investigated for their long-term effect on the engine hardware. The biodiesel developed from vegetable oil has been used to partially replace the conventional mineral diesel fuel for diesel engine application. Experimental condition monitoring Study indicated lower wear of vital parts for the biodiesel blend fuelled engine pointing towards inherent lubricity properties of the biodiesel fuel. This phenomenon was experimentally verified in the present investigations. Series of experiments were conducted on SRV optimol wear tester by sliding a pin made of piston material against a disc made of cylinder liner and the lubrication was provided by the selected fuel blends.