Assessment of Biodiesel Yield from Varieties of Mango Seeds

The rapid growth in global energy demand and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has driven the search for alternative, renewable energy sources with lower environmental impact. The search for alternative energy sources has become increasingly important to address social issues like rising petroleum prices and environmental concerns such as air pollution and global warming. Biodiesel is a biodegradable, renewable energy source with good lubrication properties and no sulfur or harmful aromatic compounds. This study assessed biodiesel production from Ogbomoso, Cherry and Saigon mango seeds. Cherry and Saigon mango seeds were sourced from National Horticultural Research Institute Ibadan and Ogbomoso mango seeds collected from Arada market in Ogbomoso town, Oyo State Oil extraction was through soxhlet apparatus and n-hexane as solvent. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive (mean and range) and inferential (ANOVA) statistics. Highest biodiesel yield was observed at 60 °C, 10 ml and 0.8 g of temperature, methanol and KOH respectively. Some of the fuel properties of biodiesel produced ranged between 125.91–169.31 mgKOH/g (saponification); 714.67– 892.33 g/cm3 (density); 0.807–0.920 kg/l (specific gravity); 149.00–168.67 °C (flash point); 48.03–52.20 (cetane number); 4.32–6.80 mm2/s (viscosity); 0.92–1.23 mgKOH/g (acid value); and 0.46–0.615 mgKOH/g (free fatty acid). These values were within the standard of American Society for Testing and Materials. Biodiesel produced from Cherry, Ogbomoso and Saigon of mango seeds had high flash point, largely methanol free and Ogbomoso mango produced more biodiesel among the mango seeds used during the study.