Research Article Methanolysis of Carica papaya Seed Oil for Production of Biodiesel Foluso O. Agunbiade and Tolulope A. Adewole Department of Chemical Sciences, College of Natural Sciences Redeemer’s University, Km 46 Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Redemption City, Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria Correspondence should be addressed to Foluso O. Agunbiade; foagunbiade@gmail.com Received 31 July 2014; Accepted 17 September 2014; Published 25 September 2014 Academic Editor: Xingcai Lu Copyright © 2014 F. O. Agunbiade and T. A. Adewole. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Te future of fossil fuel sources of energy has necessitated the need to search for renewable alternatives. Tus, Carica papaya seed oil (CPSO) was employed as feedstock for the production of biodiesel by methanolysis. Te seed was obtained locally, dried, and extracted with n-hexane. Te CPSO was analyzed for specifc gravity, viscosity, iodine value, and saponifcation value, among others using standard methods. Te oil was transesterifed by two-stage catalysis with oil to methanol mole ratio of 1 : 9. Te biodiesel produced was subjected to standard fuel tests. Te seed has an oil yield of 31.2% which is commercially viable. Te kinematic viscosity of the oil at 313 K was 27.4 mm 2 s −1 while that of Carica papaya oil methylester (CPOME) was reduced to 3.57 mm 2 s −1 and the specifc gravity was 0.84 comparable with other seed-oil biodiesels and number 2 diesel. Other oil properties were compared favourably with seed oils already documented for biodiesel synthesis. CPOME’s cloud and pour points were 275K and 274K, respectively, and relatively higher than other biodiesels and number 2 diesel. CPOME exhibits moderate corrosion of copper strip. Te methanolysis improved the fuel properties of the CPOME similar to other biodiesels. CPSO therefore exhibits a potential for biodiesel production. 1. Introduction Te major parts of all energy consumed worldwide come from fossil sources (petroleum, coal, and natural gas). How- ever, these sources are limited and nonrenewable and will be exhausted in the future. Te price volatility of fossil- based fuels, monopoly in the crude-oil market, energy crisis associated with technological advances are some of the justifcations for continuous quest and renewed drive for alternative, cheaper, and renewable energy sources [1, 2]. Tere is a global clamour for sustainable development and environmental conservation. Tis has also increased the tempo of researches on the application of biotechnology for other sources of fuel [3]. Tus, there is global interest in sourc- ing for eco-friendly, clean-burning, and renewable alternative sources of energy such as energy from biomass, wind, solar, hydroelectricity, geothermal, and hydrogen, among others. Alternative and renewable fuels have the potential of solving many of the current social problems and concerns, from air pollution and global warming to other environmental improvements and sustainability issues [4]. Furthermore, over dependency on petroleum reserves for energy supply and the increasing demand for energy are indicators that supply will not meet demand with time. Tere is therefore need for research eforts in developing vegetable oils and its derivatives as alternate fuels for engines. Biodiesel, one of such alternative fuels, is produced from renewable biological sources such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel is a clean burning ester-based, oxygenated fuel synthesized from natural, renewable sources such as virgin or used vegetable oils and animal fats [5, 6]. Te act of producing this fuel, biodiesel, is commonly referred to as transesterifcation or alcoholysis. Te process involves react- ing seed oils from some plants, vegetable oils, or animal fats with a short-chain aliphatic alcohol (typically methanol or ethanol) [7, 8]. Te best way to use vegetable oil as fuel is to convert it into biodiesel by alcoholysis which is aimed at increasing the volatility and reducing the viscosity thereby Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Fuels Volume 2014, Article ID 904076, 6 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/904076