PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOFUEL PRODUCTION FROM EGUSI (CITRULLUS LANATUS) VEGETABLE OIL

Abstract

Green house effect and ozone layer depletion due continuous environmental pollution from fossil fuel has speed up the quest for search of alternative energy fuel. In recent year, biofouls has attracted much attention as a reliable substitute to fossil fuel. The objective of this study was to evaluate and characterize biofuel produced from Egusi vegetable oil by applying standard method of transesterification. This study was carried out at Processing and Storage Engineering Departmental (PSED) laboratory of National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM), Ilorin Kwara State, Nigeria. The results of the proximate characterization of the produced Egusi vegetable oil shows crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, moisture content, ash content and carbohydrate composition of 20.6%, 13.3%, 50.6%, 4.3%, 3.0% and 8.2% respectively. The transesterification of Egusi vegetable oil in this study yielded 63.7% of methyl ester. The characterization results of  the biofuel produced shows kinematic viscosity, density, cloud point, flash point, pour point, fire point, acid value, iodine value, Saponification and specific gravity values of 4.6, 0.714, 5, 210, -3, 250, 0.54, 0.69, 0.26 and 0.915 respectively. The results were compared with the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM 6751) for standard. Information from this study will expand the scope of knowledge on the search for an alternative fuel to fossil fuel. Also, this will serve as a guide in both policy and management of global warming.