A Preliminary Investigation into the Biofuel Characteristics of Calophylum Inophyllum, Pentaclethra Macrophylla, Garcinia Mangostana, and Telfairia Occidentalis Seed Oils

R.A. Oderinde*, I.A. Ajayi and C.D. Nwogu

Industrial Chemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan Nigeria

ABSTRACT: Four oil seeds were evaluated in the present study as a renewable and potential source of energy. Successive seed oil extraction indicated that almost 27.64 + 0.60%, 49.82 + 0.49%, 50 + 4.08% and 50.74 + 2.1% for Garcinia mangostana, Calophylum inophyllum, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Telfairia occidentalis seeds respectively were oil. The physical and fuel related properties of the seed oils were investigated in this work. The results showed that these properties were comparable to those of other vegetable oils that have been used as biofuels and to current European specifications for biodiesel. Using two different esterification procedures, the percentage yield of the alkyl esters of the four seed oils were compared and the batch process of esterification was found to give a better yield. The overall findings from this study suggests that these seed oils may be an appropriate substitute for diesel fuel and that the use of Calophyllum inophyllum, Garcinia mangostana, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Telfairia occidentalis seed oils as fuel represents one possible hope for the future of Nigerian agriculture.

KEYWORDS: Energy; Fuels; Transesterification; Seed-Oils; Seeds

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