Transesterification is a chemical reaction which produces biodiesel from vegetable oils or animal fats.Transesterification of Jatropha seed oil and methanol with sodium hydroxide as a catalyst was carried out in an improvised batch reactor at different temperatures ranging from 32 65 degrees Celsius for 120minutes each. Molar ratio of methanol to oil used is 8:1.Aliquots of the reaction mixture were withdrawn at every 15 minutes interval of time from the time reaction starts for Gas Chromatographic analysis to determine percentage fatty acid methyl ester formed. The optimum percentage conversion, temperature and reaction time were found to be 99.9%, 65°C and 75minutes respectively. The fuel properties measured according to standard methods, were found to conform to International standard.

Due to population explosion, and increased industrialization with urban and rural development, the need for increased energy utilization has become more intense. Petrodiesel that has been the main energy source for heavy-duty automobiles or machines has contributed immensely to environmental pollution leading to climate change, an increase in illnesses, and reduced lifespan. To combat this ugly situation arising from the utilization of Petrodiesel, biodiesel is produced from plant oil or animal fats to substitute for Petrodiesel in internal combustion engines, either as neat biodiesel or as a blend with Petrodiesel. Different scientists and researchers have produced biodiesel from edible and non-edible plant oils. Their reports show that biodiesel properties depend on the nature of the parent plant oil and the production procedures taken. These properties that are due mainly to its production procedures determining their performance in internal combustion engines. In this chapter, recent findings on biodiesel properties with their effects on performance in internal combustion engines are reviewed. Researchers’ reports show that the most suitable blend of biodiesel with Petrodiesel is B20. This blend consisting of 20% biodiesel with 80% Petrodiesel has equivalent performance as Petrodiesel with fewer pollutants and only 1–7% nitrogen oxide emission.

Effective storage conditions can resolve the challenge of food scarcity and extinction of certain foodspecies. Therefore, this study investigated the changes in the food properties and mineral composition of tiger nuts attemperatures of 23, 40, 55, 80 and 100°C. Results show that while the temperature of 55°C influenced water, crude proteinand carbohydrate contents retention in the tiger nuts, fats were better retained at 80°C. This indicates that food nutrientsand properties of tiger nuts should be better retained at temperatures ≥ 50°C

The hydrocarbon content of Jatropha curcas seed oil obtained from Oleh Community in Delta State, NIFOR farm in Edo State and Ikabigbo in Edo State represented as samples X, Y and Z respectively were investigated using Gas Chromatography with flame ionization detector. The predominant alkanes found in the oil samples are n-Eicosane (C20H42) and n-Docosane (C22H46), while the major polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon found in the oil samples is chrysene. Sample X has the highest percentage of n-Eicosane (65.72%), sample Y has 35.56% n-Eicosane while sample Z has the lowest n-Eicosane (0.23%). Sample Z has the highest percentage of n-Docosane (91.38%), sample Y has 60.11% n-Docosane with sample X being the lowest (22.65%). The percentage of chrysene in sample Y is highest (100%), sample X has 97.47% while sample Z has the lowest percentage of chrysene (44.75%).