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Abstract
Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum-based conventional diesel fuel and is defined
as the mono-alkyl esters of vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel has been prepared
from numerous vegetable oils, such as canola (rapeseed), cottonseed, palm, peanut,
soybean and sunflower oils as well as a variety of less common oils. In this work,
Moringa oleifera oil is evaluated for the first time as potential feedstock for biodiesel.
After acid pre-treatment to reduce the acid value of the M. oleifera oil, biodiesel
was obtained by a standard transesterification procedure with methanol and an alkali
catalyst at 60 degrees C and alcohol/oil ratio of 6:1. M. oleifera oil has a high
content of oleic acid (>70%) with saturated fatty acids comprising most of the remaining
fatty acid profile. As a result, the methyl esters (biodiesel) obtained from this
oil exhibit a high cetane number of approximately 67, one of the highest found for
a biodiesel fuel. Other fuel properties of biodiesel derived from M. oleifera such
as cloud point, kinematic viscosity and oxidative stability were also determined and
are discussed in light of biodiesel standards such as ASTM D6751 and EN 14214. The
1H NMR spectrum of M. oleifera methyl esters is reported. Overall, M. oleifera oil
appears to be an acceptable feedstock for biodiesel.