Abstract

In this work, the use of biodiesel derived from Acacia sieberiana (commonly referred to as “Bagaruwa”) seed oil is presented as a potential renewable fuel for compression ignition engines. The biodiesel was produced using transesterification and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups, including C=O stretching at 1740 cm−1, and C–O ester bands at 1244 and 1170 cm−1. The GC–MS analysis showed that linoleic acid methyl ester was the dominant compound (54.77%), followed by 11-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (22.91%) and palmitic acid methyl ester (11.71%). The physicochemical properties of biodiesel–diesel blends were evaluated according to the ASTM standards. Increasing the biodiesel content reduced the density, viscosity, cetane number, and calorific value, while the flash point was found to increase. B10 and B15 blends showed the highest density values within ASTM limits. The results indicated that Acacia sieberiana seed oil is a promising non-edible feedstock for sustainable biodiesel production and applications.

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