Environmental impact and performance evaluation of calabash seed oil biodiesel

The environmental impact of production-use studies of calabash seed oil (CSO) biodiesel and its modeling with the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) are scarce. Therefore, it is difficult to determine how much the production process and exhaust emissions together contribute to the total environmental footprint during CSO biodiesel synthesis and use. This study examines the environmental impacts of using a CSO biodiesel blend (B20) and low-sulfur diesel (LSB0) in a 15-kW test bed at full load. It employs a life cycle assessment (LCA) tool to evaluate and compare their effects. This study also utilizes ANFIS modeling to gain a better understanding of the production process. The results revealed a 38.5 wt% CSO content in the seeds, with an unsaturated fatty acid content of approximately 77.38%. The ANFIS model revealed that a high cetane number, purity, yield, and lower viscosity could be obtained using a methanol-oil ratio (10:1–12:1), temperature (55–60 °C) and catalyst dosage (5–6 wt%). The engine performance tests showed that CSO-derived B20 has a significantly better fuel economy of approximately 13.2% than LSB0, with an improved thermal efficiency of 41.6% and reduced CO and HC emissions of 60% and 31.4%, respectively. The LCA results show that the most significant environmental impacts were found in the global warming potential, ecotoxicity potential, acidification potential, and eutrophication potential categories, with impact reductions of 52%, 49%, 68%, and 58%, respectively. The LCA analysis shows that the CSO-derived B20 has the potential to promote sustainable, cleaner, and more efficient energy sources.