International Research Journal of Education and Technology

In the past few decades, major researchers focus on fuel consumption and emission reduction. Due to volatile fossil fuel price and depletion, there is a growing demand for the alternative fuels. Alternative fuel like biodiesel is green energy, which is derived from vegetable oils. Utilization of green energy in more efficient manner is a need of research. This research work is about the production of biodiesel from jatropha oil. Other oils can also be used for the production, but jatropha was chosen because it is not edible therefore, it will not pose a problem to humans in terms of food competition. Before the transesterification process was carried out, some basic tests such as free fatty acid content, iodine value, and moisture content were carried out. This was done so as to ascertain quality yield of the biodiesel after the reaction. The production of the biodiesel was done with standard materials and under standard conditions which made the production a hitch-free one. The jatropha oil was heated to 60°C, and a solution of sodium methoxide (at 60°C) was added to the oil and stirred for 45 minutes using a magnetic stirrer. The mixture was then left to settle for 24 hours. The result shows that the product meets the set standard for biodiesel. The focus is to study its performance and emission characteristics of biodiesel under various engine loading conditions.

Keywords: Transesterification, Mahua oil, Bio-diesel