Moringa oleifera Seeds Potential as Biofuel via Thermal Conversion Method Based on Morphological and Chemical Content Evaluation

¹ Center for Renewable Fuels Research (CRFR), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
² Center of Advanced Materials for Renewable Energy (CAMRY), Universitas Negeri Malang, Jl. Semarang No 5, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
³ Agro Energy Research Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia
⁴ Centre of Hydrogen Energy, Institute of Future Energy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: sukarni.ft@um.ac.id

Abstract

The 26^th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), last held in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021, encouraged countries to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, fossil fuels are still dominant as a primary source for power generation. In order to keep the temperature target viable, clean and renewable fuel is needed immediately. Biomass is a promising alternative for future energy sources, which has several advantages compared to wind and solar power generators. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed by biomass for its growth, making it a carbon-neutral fuel. Moringa oleifera (MO) has big potential compared to other lignocellulosic biomass based on its growth resilience in a wide range of climates. MO seeds contain highly valuable chemical products in the form of lipids and carbohydrates that can be converted into fuel using pyrolysis. Morphology and surface chemical content testing using SEM-EDX show that the average MO seed particle has spherical geometry, which is desirable because it has the smallest contact area compared to other shapes. Chemical analysis concludes that MO seeds have 73 and 23 wt.% carbon and oxygen, respectively. Trace inorganic elements are also present, such as Mg, Al, P, S, K, and Ca, which can be beneficial for the thermal conversion process because they are able to provide a catalyst effect and can be further utilized as fertilizer.