Temitope Odetoye of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Ilorin used heterogeneous catalysts generated from chicken eggshell to create biodiesel.
Odetoye made the announcement in Ilorin while presenting the university’s 253rd inaugural lecture.
She went on to say, “The trans esterification experiment was based on a two-factor, three-level central composite design, while catalyst concentration and reaction time were considered the factors which had significant effects on the yield of biodiesel.”
Ms Odetoye stated that the yield demonstrated that eggshells were a cheap potential catalyst source for biodiesel synthesis.
According to her, employing eggshells can add value to the poultry production process while reducing waste in the poultry industry. She said biodiesel was regarded one of the sustainable fuel alternatives.
She did, however, point out that one of the key disadvantages of biodiesel production was its high production cost when compared to fossil fuel.
Odetoye defined biofuel as a fuel derived from biomass. “Biofuel is synonymous with biocrude, biodiesel, biooil, biogas, bioethanol, biosyngas and bioslurry fuels,” she went on to say.
According to the chemical engineering expert, Nigeria has an abundance of lignocellulosic biomass residue that can be exploited in more environmentally beneficial methods.
She stated that the open burning of biomass leftovers polluted the environment, particularly during the dry season.
According to Odetoye, biomass waste pyrolysis has the ability to convert waste into wealth while also creating job opportunities for skilled engineers and technicians. She stated that it will make the environment cleaner.