Thesis Abstract

<p> </p><p>This work investigated the viability of using locally available vegetable seed oils<br>to produce biodiesel. Two indigenous seeds- Hibiscus Surattensis (Hausa-rahma)<br>and Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Hausa-yakwua) were used to carry out the research.<br>Biodiesel from oils derived from these seeds were produced by alkali catalyzed<br>transesterification process. The physicochemical properties of the oils (such as<br>viscosity, flash point, calorific value, relative density, acid value, ash content,<br>carbon content, saponification value, iodine value and hydrogen content) and<br>various blending ratios of biodiesel with diesel obtained from oils of these seeds<br>were investigated and compared with standard diesel fuel. The methyl esters of<br>the samples were comparatively analysed based on their performance<br>characteristics in blends of 3070, 4060 and 5050 using a Leyland Compression<br>Ignition Engine coupled to a hydro-dynamometer. Parameters like speed of<br>engine and fuel consumption were measured at different loads for pure diesel and<br>various combinations of biodiesel blends. Torque, brake horse power and specific<br>fuel consumption were calculated. The test results indicate that the biodiesel<br>blends of 4060 for H. Sabdariffa has Brake horse power- 12.44kW, Speed-<br>2000rpm, and SFC 0.118 l /kW hr and; 3070 for H. Surattensis has Brake horse<br>power- 13.78kW, Speed-2000rpm, and SFC-0.332 l/kW hr while Diesel has<br>Brake horse power- 10kW, Speed-2000rpm, and SFC-0.193 l/kW hr. Both H.<br>Sabdariffa at 4060 blend and H. Surattensis at 3070 blend have brake horse<br>power and SFC higher than diesel at the speed of 2000rpm hence H. Sabdariffa<br>– 7 –<br>blend of 4060 and H. Surattensis blend of 3070 blend can be recommended for<br>use in diesel engines without making any engine modifications.</p><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <br><p></p>

Thesis Overview

<p> INTRODUCTION<br>1.0 BACKGROUND<br>Energy is central to sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts. It affects all<br>aspects of development – social, economic, and environmental – including livelihoods,<br>access to water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, education, and<br>gender-related issues. The United Nation Millennium Summit identified the most<br>pressing global development needs. These were called Millennium Development Goals<br>(MDGs) which were unanimously adopted by the international community in 2000.These<br>MDGs are a list of human development objectives to be achieved by 2015 (UNDP,<br>2000). These goals include: poverty alleviation, universal basic education for all,<br>promotion of gender equality and empowering of women, improved health conditions<br>and environmental sustainability. None of the MDGs can be met without major<br>improvement in the quality and quantity of energy services in developing countries.<br>UNDP’s efforts in energy for sustainable development support the achievement of the<br>MDGs, especially MDG1, reducing by half the proportion of people living in poverty by<br>2015 (UNDP, 2000).<br>The present study is a research set out to investigate the viability of using some locally<br>sourced vegetable seeds to produce biodiesel or methyl ester from the oils extracted from<br>these local seeds. Different indigenous seeds namely: Hibiscus Surattensis and Hibiscus<br>Sabdiraffa seeds were used to carry out the research work. The physicochemical<br>properties of the biodiesel obtained from the oil of these seeds were investigated and<br>– 21 –<br>compared with standard diesel fuels. The fuels were used to run a diesel engine and the<br>performance of the Diesel Engine was observed.<br>1.1 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM<br>1. Nigeria today is possibly facing the worst energy crisis ever to befall this nation.<br>The country, by the government’s admission, imports about 70% of refined fuel needed<br>for domestic consumption. Despite the award of licenses to several private firms to build<br>refineries, absolutely no investor has committed a farthing to construction (This Day<br>Newspaper, 2007).<br>2. Numerous studies indicated that oil sources in the world will come to an end. As a<br>result, new alternative energy sources will be required to substitute for Fossil diesel<br>(Yücesu et al., 2006).<br>3. Due to rising dangers from the ongoing build up of human-related greenhouse gases<br>produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests, it has become necessary to<br>develop alternative fuels that will be environmental friendly.<br>A possible solution to a potential future energy shortage would be to use some of the<br>world’s remaining fossil fuel reserves as an investment in renewable energy<br>infrastructure such as wind power, solar power, tidal power, geothermal power,<br>hydropower, methanol, ethanol and biodiesel, or in an oil lamp; olive oil, canola oil,<br>safflower oil, or sunflower oil which do not suffer from finite energy reserve but do not<br>– 22 –<br>have finite energy flow. The construction of sufficiently large renewable energy<br>infrastructure might avoid the economic consequences of an extended period of decline in<br>fossil fuel energy supply per capita.<br>1.2 PRESENT RESEARCH<br>The present study is a research set out to investigate the viability of using some locally<br>sourced vegetable seeds to produce biodiesel or methyl ester from the oils extracted from<br>these local seeds. Different indigenous seeds namely: Hibiscus Surattensis and Hibiscus<br>Sabdiraffa seeds were used to carry out the research work. The physicochemical<br>properties of the biodiesel obtained from the oil of these seeds were investigated and<br>compared with standard diesel fuels. The fuels were used to run a diesel engine and the<br>performance of the Diesel Engine was observed.<br>1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH<br>The use of renewable fuels on a more significant scale than at present would reduce<br>dependence on fossil fuels, thereby reducing the associated environmental impacts.<br>Biodiesel, a renewable energy source, could supplement the energy needs of the<br>economy, with relatively minimal impact on to the environment.<br>Recent survey has indicated that with the present rate of energy consumption, there is<br>combined decline in quantity of crude petroleum which serves as source for diesel oil<br>– 23 –<br>production. Moreover, the rate of discovery of petroleum deposits is not proportional to<br>the rate of consumption (George, 2005).<br>Through its environmental relations, the immediate and past impact effect of oil spillage<br>and pollution has done much to destroy the live of the communities, vegetation and<br>aquatic lives (George, 2005).<br>Also, Biodiesel improves lubricity and reduces premature wearing of diesel engine fuel<br>pumps (Schumacher and Howell, 1994).<br>The above mentioned problems and other facts, necessitate further research or rather<br>awakened new interest for vegetable oil improvement as alternative source. This potential<br>energy source is renewable. It could reduce risk of unavailability of fossil diesel and<br>could to a large extend reduce pollution effects resulting from their waste. Furthermore,<br>there is no doubt that this will boost agriculture as more seeds will be required. A greater<br>percentage of the populace live in the rural areas and as they cultivate these crops as raw<br>materials for Biodiesel production, it will boost their economic power and poverty will be<br>reduced thereby helping to achieve one of the MDGs.<br>1.4 AIM AND OBJECTIVES<br>The aim of this work is to establish the possibility of using Hibiscus Surattensis and<br>Hibiscus Sabdariffa methyl esters as alternative fuels in diesel engine. The specific<br>objectives are:<br>i. to investigate the physicochemical properties of vegetable oils from Hibiscus<br>– 24 –<br>Surattensis and Hibiscus Sabdariffa seeds.<br>ii. to convert the oils to biodiesel by the process of transesterification, and then compare<br>their physicochemical properties with those of petroleum- based diesel.<br>iii. to test the performance of the biodiesel from these oils at various blend ratios with<br>diesel using the Leyland Compression Ignition Engine.<br>iv. to establish the optimum blend of the biodiesel.<br>1.5 JUSTIFICATION<br>In the year 2000, there were about eight million vehicles around the world that ran on<br>alternative fuels, indicating sustainability (Fight Global Warming, 2007).<br>The major environmental concern, according to an Intergovernmental Panel of Climate<br>Change (IPCC) report, is that “most of the observed increase in globally averaged<br>temperatures since the mid-20th century in due to the observed increase in anthropogenic<br>greenhouse gas concentration” which is due to burning of fossil fuels (National Energy<br>Information Center 2004).<br>Another concern is the peak oil theory, which predicts a rising cost of oil derived fuels<br>caused by severe shortage of oil during an era of growing energy consumption. The<br>demand for oil will exceed supply and this gap will continue to grow, which could cause<br>a growing energy crisis starting between 2010 and 2020 (Hirsch, 2006).<br>Economic consideration- According to survey carried out in the US, biodieselers (people<br>who brew biodiesel domestically) using waste oil feedstock make biodiesel for 50 cents<br>– 25 –<br>to US $1 per US gallon (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://journeytoforever.org)">http://journeytoforever.org)</a>. It still went further to report that<br>most people in the US use about 600 gallon of fuel a year (about 10 gallon a week),<br>costing about US$1,800 a year (mid-2007). Petro-diesel costs about three times more in<br>the other industrialized countries (in UK in mid-2007 it cost the equivalent of US$7.37<br>for a US gallon of Petro-diesel) but those countries generally use less fuel than the US.<br>This means that biodieselers will be paying $300-360 for their fuel<br>(<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://journeytoforever.org)">http://journeytoforever.org)</a>.<br>1.6 METHODOLOGY<br>This has to do with the methods used and the procedures adopted to extract each of the<br>oils: the seeds collection, extraction of oils, their physicochemical properties,<br>Transesterification, and experimentation based on the application of these samples in the<br>diesel engine to test their performance characteristics.<br>1.7 SCOPE<br>The present work compares the performance of various biodiesels with fossil diesel using<br>a Leyland four stroke Compression Ignition Engine (CIE) coupled to a hydro<br>dynamometer. The goal of this work is also to determine the physicochemical properties<br>of the vegetable oils and the biodiesel obtained from the oils which were then compared<br>with that of standard petrol diesel. The performance will determine the suitability of these<br>biodiesel fuels for use in a diesel engine. <br></p>