Biodiesel Production from Dika Seed (Irvingia Gabonensis) Oil Via Soxhlet Extraction and Transesterification Reaction

Abstract

Biodiesel production from dika seeds via soxhlet extraction and transesterification reaction was studied. Key fuel properties investigated from the product of the methanolysis of the dika seed oil and their results were: flash point (130oC), refractive index (1.32), ash content (0.01 %), cloud point (nil), specify gravity (0.90), density (kg/m³) (0.936), kinematic viscosity (4.0 m²/s), moisture content (0.03 %), and smoking point (50oC). These properties were found to compare favorably with American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and European Norms (EN) standards. The best operating parameters that achieved the optimum conversion (97 %) of dika seed oil into biodiesel were catalyst concentration of 2.0 wt %, temperature of 70°C, 1:12 dika seed oil/methanol molar ratio, reaction time of 2 hrs and, a stirring speed of 700 rpm. However, the effect of temperature was able to achieve incremental conversion of 10 %. Key words: Transesterification, biodiesel, dika seed, oil, methanol, catalyst and conversion. Introduction