PHYSICO-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM NON-EDIBLE SHEA BUTTER SEED OIL

ABSTRACT This study investigates the production and characterization of biodiesel derived from non-edible shea butter seed oil through transesterification. The work focuses on evaluating the physico-chemical properties of the oil and the resulting biodiesel, comparing them with ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and EN (European Standards) biodiesel standards. Shea butter seed oil, an underutilized non-edible feedstock, provides an environmentally sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and helps reduce food vs. fuel competition. The study aims to optimize production parameters such as catalyst concentration, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, temperature, and reaction time to achieve high biodiesel yield and acceptable fuel properties. The analysis of Shea butter oil and the biodiesel produced through transesterification provided useful information on the quality of the fuel. The parameters studied included density, viscosity, acid value, iodine value, saponification value, cetane number, flash point, pour point, and cloud point. These results were compared with international standards (ASTM D6751 and EN 14214). The density of Shea butter oil was found to be 0.92 g/cm³, which is slightly higher than that of biodiesel (0.87 g/cm³). The decrease in density after transesterification indicates the successful removal of heavier glycerol molecules. According to Knothe et al. (2005), biodiesel with densities between 0.86 and 0.90 g/cm³ ensures good fuel atomization in compression ignition engines. The result therefore confirms that Shea butter biodiesel falls within the acceptable density range for efficient combustion.