Animal fat has been studied as a potential renewable resource for the production of biodiesel. This animal was introduced to Puerto Rico in the 1980s as an exotic pet. Since then, it has proliferated and become a serious problem. This animal feasts on the flowers and leaves of the native flora which, in the long run, affects the native ecosystem. As a result, the local agricultural markets lose product and revenue. In this work, the fat from the reptile, Iguana iguana, was used as source of lipids for biodiesel production. Our group extracted the oil from 129.38 g of adipose tissue found on the iguanas' abdomens via a microwave rendering process. The biodiesel was prepared from the extracted oil by an acid catalyzed esterification using methanol and H2SO4 followed by a base catalyzed transesterification, using 1:4 oil to methanol molar ratio and 1% NaOH. A total of 41.87% (w/w) of oil was obtained from the rendering process and 69.40% yield of biodiesel was obtained from the extracted oil. The methyl ester structure was partially identified with the infrared spectroscopy (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. The biodiesel density was 0.861 g/mL and it’s kinematic viscosity was 8.0 mm2/s. The biodiesel meets with the ASTM D6751 regulation standards for density but not for the kinematic viscosity. It’s a possibility that the biodiesel didn’t meet viscosity standards due to the composition of the iguana oil, however this is a subject that has not been studied and further investigations should be made.

Fat from the Green iguana (Iguana iguana) as potential source of lipids for production of biodiesel

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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