Quality Parameters of Biodiesel Produced from Locally Sourced Moringa oleifera and Citrullus colocynthis L. Seeds Found in Kaduna, Nigeria

Oils were extracted from Moringa oleifera and Citrullus colocythis L. (melon) seeds, using soxhlet extractor with n-hexane as solvent. The oil yield were; 51.00% and 50.87% for melon and moringa respectively. The oils physicochemical parameters such as moisture content, density at 50ºC, specific gravity at 60ºC, ash content, viscosity at 40ºC, cetane index, flash point, fire point, cloud point, pour point, refractive index at 30ºC, acid value and free fatty acid value were determined using standard methods. The conversion of the oil to biodiesel was achieved by trans-esterification process. The biodiesel yields of 66.81% and 87.20% were obtained for melon and moringa fatty acid methyl esters respectively. The biodiesel physicochemical parameters such as; density at 50ºC, kinematic viscosity at 40ºC, refractive index at 30ºC, specific gravity at 60ºC, cetane index, cloud point, flash point, fire point, pour point, acid value, carbon residue, sulphur content, mono-glyceride, di-glyceride, tri-glyceride, free and total glycerin content were also found using standard methods. The quality parameters of the biodiesel were found to be within international acceptable standards.