IMPACT OF ADDITION OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE (TiO2) NANO PARTICLE ON THE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF BIODIESEL EXTRACTED FROM JATROPHA OIL

Vegetable oils are gaining increasing attention as sustainable substitutes for conventional mineral oils in electrical insulation applications due to their biodegradability, renewability, and favorable thermal characteristics. Among these alternatives, Jatropha curcas oil has demonstrated promising dielectric properties, particularly adequate electrical breakdown strength for high-voltage applications. However, there remains limited understanding of the dielectric behavior of Jatropha biodiesel modified with metal oxide nanoparticles, as most existing studies focus on crude or refined oils and employ narrow or unsystematic nanoparticle loadings, with insufficient correlation between structural characteristics and dielectric performance. In this study, the effect of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticle incorporation on the dielectric properties of biodiesel derived from purified Jatropha curcas oil was systematically investigated. The crude oil was first purified and transesterified to obtain biodiesel, after which TiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed at concentrations ranging from 0.1 wt.% to 0.5 wt.% in increments of 0.1 wt.%. Structural, elemental, and molecular characterizations of the crude oil, biodiesel, and nanoparticle-modified samples were conducted using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Dielectric parameters, including dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), and dissipation factor (tan δ), were measured over a range of temperatures using a digital LCR meter. The results demonstrate that the incorporation of TiO₂ nanoparticles significantly enhances the dielectric performance of Jatropha biodiesel by reducing dielectric losses and improving polarization stability. These findings highlight the potential of TiO₂-modified Jatropha biodiesel as an environmentally friendly and high-performance insulating fluid for high-voltage and high-temperature electrical applications.