EVALUATION OF THE BIODIESEL POTENTIALS OF SELECTED PLANT BIOMASSES IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, NIGERIA

BY

UDOFIA, BASSEY GABRIEL (B.Sc. Biochemistry, U.I.) Matric No: 127076

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH (ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH) DEGREE.

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES, FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH, COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN.

JANUARY, 2015

CERTIFICATION I certify that this research work was carried out by Udofia, Bassey Gabriel of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

------Supervisor Dr G. R. E. E. Ana B.Sc (PH), M.Eng (PH), MPH (Ib), PhD (Ib), FLEAD (UK), MRSPH (UK), MAPHA (USA) Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.

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DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Jehovah God Almighty, in whose mercy and grace I found favour to carry out this research work from start to finish; and for the gift of life.

Also dedicate this work to my Father (Cosmas Etim Udofia) and Mother (Eno Etim Udofia), both of whom have been my pillar of support and encouragement, without whom I might have even given up hope.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank the Almighty God, the author and finisher of my faith, and the one who alone is justifiable to receive all my praise in its entirety. I am forever grateful to you Lord for seeing me throughout my course of study and preserving my life up till this moment. I pray thee to receive my sincere thanks and appreciation.

My profound and inestimable gratitude goes to my supervisor, Dr Godson R.E.E. Ana for his immense contribution to my personal and academic life. I cannot but say that your invaluable pieces of advice, criticism and encouragement have gone a long way in repositioning my mind for present and future challenges. Sir, you have not only taken me as student but also taken personal interest in my growth and development like a brother. I pray God to continually bless all the works of your hand and increase you in leaps and bounds even to achieve greater unprecedented feats in life. May he also keep and protect your family all the way.

My warm and sincere appreciation goes to all the lecturers and staff of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences-Prof. M.K.C. Sridhar, Prof. A.M. Omishakin, Dr E.O. Oloruntoba, Dr O.T. Okareh, Mr O.M. Morakinyo, Mr B.T. Hammed, Mr Dele James, Mrs Olaide Ikpele and Mr Kehinde Adewusi, for their respective assistance in different ways in the course of my programme. May God continually bless you all and make your efforts in life fruitful.

I will also like to use this opportunity to thank the members and staff of the Multidisciplinary Central Research Laboratory (MCRL), Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Agronomy Department, Department of Botany, etc, who in one way or the other assisted me in the conduct of my bench work or my laboratory analyses, but who are just too numerous to mention. I pray that God who knows and sees all things will reward the time and effort you put into the accomplishment of this work wherever you may be. I will not forget to specially thank Mr Abiola T. Adebayo for his kind disposition and Mrs Oluronke Korede of the MCRL for her understanding, kind heartedness, motherly care and affection even to students who she doesn’t know from anywhere. I pray God to keep you and your family and help your children to find boundless favour wherever they go in life.

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This section would be incomplete if I fail to specially thank all my classmates (2011/2012 MPH set) of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences for their cordial relationship and enabling us all to work in tandem in accomplishing several set targets of the class even within tight time schedules. My special recognition goes to my notable