EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIODIESEL FROM SOYBEANS SEED OIL (SSO) CULTIVATED IN JALINGO, TARABA STATE

Abstract

The use of petrol diesel has associated environmental challenges, hence, the
need for an alternative source of diesel which is environmentally friendly.
Biofuel, a triglyceride of vegetable oils and animal fats has remained a viable
substitute for petrol-based diesel. This research is on extraction and
characterization of biodiesel from soybeans seed oil (SSO). The seeds were
obtained, sundried, crushed and weighed. Solvent extraction approach was
adopted to extract oil from the crushed seeds using cold maceration method with
n-hexane as a solvent. The biodiesel produced was characterized according to
its physicochemical properties. The results obtained showed that the
physicochemical properties of the biodiesel produced from soybeans seed oil
were comparable with that of standard biodiesel in the range of ASTM
specifications with a density of 0.860g/cm3
, viscosity of 2.81mm2
/s, flash point
of 142oC, Moisture content of 0.028%V and pour point of 7oC. This implies that
soybeans seeds can be used as biodiesel.