Rheological and Thermal Properties of Canarium Schweinfurthii Linn (Atili) Oil and Its Suitability as A Biodiesel Feedstock: A Comparison of Oblong and Round Fruit Morphotypes

Solomon; G.; Kaankuka T. K.; Omale; P. A.

doi:10.56201/ijaes.vol.12.no9.2026.pg47.55

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Rheological and Thermal Properties of Canarium Schweinfurthii Linn (Atili) Oil and Its Suitability as A Biodiesel Feedstock: A Comparison of Oblong and Round Fruit Morphotypes

Solomon, G., Kaankuka T. K., and, Omale, P. A.

Abstract

Canarium schweinfurthii Linn oil, extracted from the mesocarp of an underutilised indigenous African fruit, has been proposed as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production, but its flow and heat-transfer behaviour has not been well characterised or benchmarked against established feedstocks. This study determined the rheological and thermal properties of oil extracted from two fruit morphotypes (oblong and round) of C. schweinfurthii Linn and compared them with published values for common biodiesel feedstock oils. Dynamic viscosity was measured with a Brookfield viscometer at seven temperatures (30-90°C) and five shear rates (3-60 rpm); specific heat, thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity were determined at 40, 50, 70 and 90°C; and oil density was measured gravimetrically. Both oils exhibited shear-thinning (pseudoplastic) behaviour, with viscosity decreasing from 92.1 x 10−3 Ns/m2 and 94.3 x 10−3 Ns/m2 at 30°C/3 rpm to 4.8 x 10−3 and 5.9 x 10−3 Ns/m2 at 90°C/60 rpm, and power-law flow behaviour indices below unity (0.504-0.840 for oblong; 0.524-0.844 for round) at all temperatures. Viscosity-temperature dependence followed the Arrhenius relationship (R2 > 0.98), with activation energies of 0.1156 kJ/mol and 0.1292 kJ/mol . Specific heat, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and density all varied linearly with temperature (R2 = 0.84-0.999); density decreased while the other three properties increased with rising temperature. Compared with rapeseed, palm, corn, sunflower and soybean oils, C. schweinfurthii Linn oils showed comparable density, higher specific heat and thermal conductivity, and viscosity within the operating range of established feedstocks. These results indicate that C. schweinfurthii Linn oil possesses flow and thermal characteristics broadly compatible with biodiesel processing and support its consideration as an alternative non-edible feedstock oil.

Keywords

Canarium schweinfurthii Linn; atili oil; rheology; viscosity; thermal properties; biodiesel feedstock

References

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Rheological and Thermal Properties of Canarium Schweinfurthii Linn (Atili) Oil and Its Suitability as A Biodiesel Feedstock: A Comparison of Oblong and Round Fruit Morphotypes

Abstract

Keywords

References

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