Composition and Fuel Potentials of Irvingia gabonensis

Background and Objective: Irvingia gabonensis seeds yield a large amount of oil which can be evaluated for its fuel potential. In this study, Irvingia gabonensis seeds were analysed for their chemical composition. Materials and Methods: The analysis was carried out on the seeds following standard methods. Selected metals were determined in the seeds by dry ashing method using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Oil was extracted with n-hexane by sonication. Biodiesel (methyl esters) was produced from the oil by transesterification. The relative abundance of some fatty acid methyl esters was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The fuel properties of the oil methyl ester (biodiesel) were tested using standard methods. Results: The results showed that the average moisture content was 3.21%, ash level was 1.73%, crude fat was 52.67%, while crude fibre, crude protein and carbohydrate contents were 2.63, 7.31 and 10.15%, respectively. The seeds contained Na, K, Ca, Mg, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd which were in various amounts. Linoleic acid and methyl ester had the highest abundance at 48% while oleic acid was of least abundance at 1.2%. Conclusion: The fuel properties showed that the properties of biodiesel from Irvingia gabonensiswere within the acceptable quality standards for application in diesel engines.