LAUSR

Abstract Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel, and it is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats via transesterification process. The free fatty acid content of the oils is the main deciding factor to select either one or two steps transesterification process. The processing cost of biodiesel production depends upon the biodiesel production method. Generally, oil is extracted from biodiesel feedstock, and further, it is analyzed for its suitability for biodiesel production. In order to assess the suitability of groundnut seeds with different viability for biodiesel production, the experiment was conducted. Also, the relationship between seed viability and its oil’s properties were studied. Eleven groundnut seed lots were tested for their seed viability as well as the fuel properties of the oil, after extraction. The result indicate that as the seeds lose its viability, the activity of antioxidant enzyme decreases leading to an alteration in free fatty acid, saponification value, iodine value, and cetane number. Correlation analysis between seed viability of seed and free fatty acid of groundnut oil indicates an inverse and strong relationship with oil’s fuel properties. The groundnut seed lots with more than 60 percent germination were found to possess oil with excellent fuel properties. It was also found that the above seed lot can be suited for alkali based single-step transesterification process due to lower free fatty acid (