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Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus Scales as a source of BIOFUEL

Rsearcher: Jelyne Daryl F. Romero

Background of the Study Fuels are substance that give off heat when they burn. Fuel provides our world energy use for heating, cooking, powering ships, cars, and machines and electricity. High prices of gasoline pose a problem to many people. Higher energy costs are flowing down into the costs of other products that we buy. And most people are affected especially the poor people. On the other hand, using the scales of Tilapia as a good source of BIOFUEL, in one way or another, will add to demand for said palm. The use and promotion of BIOFUEL in the country could be a “win-win solution” for both the people and the environment as the world is currently facing a phenomenon called global warming. The use of BIOFUEL will also unlock the country’s dependence on fossil fuels which price depends on the international market. Both Biodiesel and Ethanol are clean, grow-your-own fuels that can be made onsite in villages or local communities from renewable, locally available resources, for the most part using simple equipment that a local workshop can make and maintain. These fuels are among a wide range sustainable local energy options. Others are methane (biogas) digesters that run livestock, crop, and food wastes into cooking and heating gas, charcoal and fuel wood (good fuels unless over harvesting destroys the trees themselves), wind power, and water power. This research aims to produce BIOFUEL, which has an affordable price than the commercial fuel.
Statement of the Problem 1. Is the scales of Tilapia contains chemical components necessary in the production of BIOFUEL? 2. What is the best concentration of Tilapia Scales that would yield the highest amount of BIOFUEL? 3. Is there a significant difference that exists in the concentration of Tilapia Scales as effective biofuel as compared to kerosene?

Hypothesis: H1 – There is a significant difference that exists in the concentration of Tilapia Scales as effective biofuel as compared to kerosene? H0 – There is no significant difference that exists in the concentration of Tilapia Scales as effective biofuel as compared to kerosene?

Review of Related Literature TILAPIA Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish, inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes, and less commonly found living in brackish water. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the Levant, and are of increasing importance in aquaculture. Tilapia is a large genus in the cichlid family (Cichlidae). It used to be even larger, but quite a few species have now been moved from Tilapia to other genera in the cichlid family, primarily the genera Oreochromis and Sarotherodon. For historical reasons, these moved species are still commonly referred to as tilapia fish in everyday speach. The genus Tilapia, as well as closely related genera like Oreochromis and Sarotherodon, belongs to the tribe Tilapiini in the subfamily Pseudocrenilabrinae.
Tilapia is a popular food fish and many species can easily be cultivated in ponds. It has been an important source of protein Africa and the Levant for thousands of years and the Ancient Egyptians cultivated tilapia in ponds along the Nile. The fish even has its very own hieroglyph.
Tilapia has laterally compressed, deep bodies. Like other cichlids, their lower pharyngeal bones are fused into a single tooth-bearing structure. A complex set of muscles allows the upper and lower pharyngeal bones to be used as a second set of jaws for processing food, allowing a division of labor between the "true jaws" (mandibles) and the "pharyngeal jaws". This means they are efficient feeders that can capture and process a wide variety of food items. Their mouths are protrusible, usually bordered with wide and often swollen lips. The jaws have conical teeth. Typically tilapia have a long dorsal fin, and a lateral line which often breaks towards the end of the dorsal fin, and starts again two or three rows of scales below.
The scales of Tilapia are surrounded by an envelope of scleroblasts responsible for the production of layers of collagen that constitute the bulk of the scale. The scleroblasts adjoining the lateral face of the oldest scale region gradually atrophy. New collagen layers are deposited against the inner face of the scale, the adjoining scleroblasts showing evidence of high metabolic activity. Calcification occurs by inotropic deposition of crystals alongside the fibres. There is no sharp demarcation between calcified and non-calcified scale regions, a calcification front gradually moving towards newly formed collagen layers. It is felt that fish scales should be considered as calcified derivatives of dermal collagen layers.
What is BIOFUEL? A biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases. Biofuels are gaining increased public and scientific attention, driven by factors such as oil price hikes and the need for increased energy security. However, according to the European Environment Agency, biofuels address global warming concerns only in specific cases.

What is BIOETHANOL? Bioethanol is an alcohol made by fermentation, mostly from carbohydrates produced in sugar or starch crops such as corn or sugarcane. Cellulosic biomass, derived from non-food sources, such as trees and grasses, is also being developed as a feedstock for ethanol production. Ethanol can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form, but it is usually used as a gasoline additive to increase octane and improve vehicle emissions. The main source of sugar required to produce ethanol come from fuel or energy crops. These crops are grown specifically for energy use and include corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, cord grasses, Jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum plants. What are the benefits of BIOETHANOL? The overwhelming advantage of bioethanol for the environment is its potential to be carbon neutral on a lifecycle basis – meaning the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during its use is offset by the absorption from the atmosphere during its growth.
With emissions of CO2 and nitrous oxide taken into account, some studies suggest that lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 90% with bioethanol compared to petrol. This is a best-case scenario however, using sugar cane as the crop and large amounts of bagasse (the remaining wood fibres after the juice is extracted) used for heat energy. Nevertheless, even by current European standards the emission reductions are significant – around 35-65% depending on the processing method.