Increasing demands coupled with environmental effects of conventional fuels have over time been a source of great concern to seek cost-efficient and environmentally friendly fuels. This work is therefore, to determine the fuel properties of biodiesel from neem (Azadirachta indica) and jatropha (Jatropha curcas) seed oils using whole-cell biocatalyst. Seeds of both neem and jatropha wyere extracted from kernels using a two-staged mechanical process. Whole-cell biocatalyst-mediated trans-esterification of oils into fatty acids methyl esters (FAME) were achieved by the used of isolated strains of Rhizopus orizae. After pretreatment, the percentage yield of oils from seed kernels of neem and jatropha were found to be 29.49±0.12% and 34.18±0.16% respectively while biodiesel yields from oils of neem and jatropha were 91.20±0.02% and 89.90±0.08%. The neem and jatropha based biodiesels had specific gravities of 0.879±0.002 and 0.877±0.001, flash points (173±1.11 and 135±1.14oC); fire points (205±0.11 and (193±0.01oC) water and sediments (0.04±0.001 and 0.02±0.001%); kinematic viscosity (2.30±03 and 2.10±0.06 cst @ 37.8oC); API gravity (29.48±0.37) and (29.85±1.9); free fatty acids (0.65±0.03 and 0.38±0.04% KOH); ash contents (0.03±0.001 and 0.01±0.001%); iodine number (79.6±0.1 and 20 ±0.2 mg I2/g); saponification value (186.38 ± 0.17) and (191.75 ± 0.11mg (KOH)/g); and peroxide value (7.91±0.09 and 2.50 ± 0.03mg/kg), respectively. Fuel properties of biodiesel compared favorably with American standards for testing materials (ASTM) established limits for biodiesel fuels which showed great potentials in the use of non-food oils coupled with green chemistry in the field of biodiesel research and development.

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