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Energy Sources Part A-recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects, Vol.38, No.11, 1495-1502, 2016
Hybridization of feedstocks-A new approach in biodiesel development: A case of Moringa and Jatropha seed oils
In this study, two selected feedstocks, Moringa oleifera and Jatropha curcas seed oils, and their methyl esters (biodiesel) were subjected to two new different hybridization processes at varying proportions experimentally. The hybrid compositions were J(50)M(50), J(40)M(10), J(30)M(20), J(20)M(30), and J(10)M(40) from crude oil samples (in situ) and BM(50)J(50), BM(40)J(10), BM(30)J(20), BM(20)J(30), and BM(10)J(40) from produced biodiesel by transesterification (ex situ) using production variables and optimization sequences. The hybrids were evaluated for chemo-physical and thermal properties using American Society for Testing and Materials and South African National Standards standards for each specific test(s). Results obtained revealed the efficacy of hybridization in improving the specific biodiesel properties as fuels. Specific tests include viscosity, specific gravity, refractive index, cetane index, fatty acid composition, free and total glycerine (TG), free fatty acid (FFA) composition, flash point, pour and cloud points, and calorific values. These were all higher and better than the single-stock biodiesel fuels. Moringa oleifera biodiesel, which was proved an excellent biodiesel fuel in the previous studies of the authors having high oleic acid content (>70%), impacted positively on Jatropha in enhancing its potential, with positive correlation at a 95% confidence level (alpha > 0.05) and on analysis of variation (ANOVA). This is a new approach in biodiesel development as studies of this nature are scarce in the literature.