Jojoba methyl ester (JME) has been used as a renewable fuel in numerous studies evaluating its potential use in diesel engines. These studies showed that this fuel is a very good gas oil substitute but an increase in the nitrogenous oxides emissions was observed at all operating conditions. The aim of this study mainly was to quantify the efficiency of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) when using JME fuel in a fully instrumented, two-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke direct injection diesel engine. The tests were made in two sections. Firstly, the measured performance and exhaust emissions of the diesel engine operating with diesel fuel and JME are determined and compared. Secondly, tests were performed at two speeds and loads to investigate the EGR effect on engine performance and exhaust emissions including nitrogenous oxides (NO.), carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HQ and exhaust gas temperatures. Also, effect of cooled EGR with high ratio at full load on engine performance and emissions was examined. The results showed that EGR is an effective technique for reducing NO(x) emissions with JME fuel especially in light duty diesel engines. A better trade-off between HC, CO and NO(x) emissions can be attained within a limited EGR rate of 5-15% with very little economy penalty. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.