Abstract

Biodiesel from non-edible feedstocks has gained significant attention due to its reliability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental benefits compared to conventional fossil fuels. Mucuna bean seed and Gmelina seed are abundant non-edible resources in Nigeria and other regions, making them promising feedstocks for biodiesel production because of their favorable oil content and composition. In this study, the Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm was employed to optimize biodiesel production from Mucuna bean seed and Gmelina seed oils and to analyze the interactive effects of key process parameters. The parameters investigated included reaction time, stirring speed, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, and temperature. The GWO results revealed that the combination of catalyst concentration and reaction time yielded the highest biodiesel output at 93.5%, while catalyst concentration with temperature achieved 80%. Interactions between stirring speed and methanol/oil ratio resulted in 65% yield, whereas temperature combined with speed produced the lowest yield of 38.7%. These findings demonstrate that the GWO algorithm effectively optimized the biodiesel production process from these feedstocks, providing valuable insights into parameter interactions and highlighting opportunities to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of biodiesel production.