Production and Characterization of the oil Biodiesel and Biodiesel blends from Moringa oleifera seeds

Abstract

This study aims to identify a sustainable source of energy from natural and environmentally friendly resources. The oil from Moringa oleifera seeds was extracted using the solvent extraction method. Therefore, the solvent extraction proved to be suitable for the extraction of Moringa oleifera oil, Moringa oleifera crude oil was converted to Biodiesel, sample of Moringa oleifera seeds were collected from National Tree Seed Center – Forest Research, located in Khartoum, Sudan. the chemical composition of the seeds was investigated, and the percent of each component was calculated. The investigation showed that Moringa oleifera seeds contained approximately (7.0%) moisture, (31.6%) protein, (38%) oil, (7.8%) fiber, (6.3%) ash and (19.9%) carbohydrates. The chemical composition indicated that Moringa oleifera seeds contained appreciable amount of oil that encouraged its extraction and characterization. The oil extracted from Moringa oleifera was then evaluated for its physicochemical properties, the values obtained for pH (5.42), kinematic viscosity at 40 C (35.75 cSt), refractive index (1.4791), density at 40 C (0.9022 g/ml), flash point (158.0 °C), Acid Value (9.89 mg KOH/g), free fatty acid (9.22 %), peroxide value (6.00 mEq/Kg), saponification value (210.13 mg KOH/g), iodine value (66.5 I2/100g). The produced biodiesel was identified using (GC-MS, FT-IR) techniques, the results show that the total ester content in the biodiesel was 100% of the total components of produced Moringa oleifera biodiesel. The physical and chemical properties of Moringa oleifera biodiesel were compared with the ASTM D 7467 requirements. B20 blend of biodiesel with Diesel were all within the level of ASTM D 7467. Biodiesel-Diesel-Ethanol blends were investigated and compared also with standard method ASTM D 7467 and all the results were found with the standard requirements. The flash point of pure biodiesel was 137 oC, reduced to 87.00 oC in the B20 blend and reduced to 15 C in D60 B20 E20. The findings of the present investigation proved that the oil extracted from Moringa oleifera seeds has acceptable physicochemical properties. Hence, Moringa oleifera can be considered a potential source to produce a high-quality oil.