Linear Correlation Analysis of Production Parameters of Biofuel from Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) Mucilage

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the linear correlation between the production variables of biofuel based on cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L. ) mucilage in the city of Calceta - Manabí. The issue addressed was the generation of waste from cocoa farming, leading to contamination of aquifers and the land surface. The CCN-51 cocoa variety was used for the research, following the guidelines of the Completely Randomized Design (CRD), with the proportion of yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) as the studied factor, in three quantities: 0.5 kg, 0.1 kg, and 0.025 kg, and two methods of sample dehydration: saline distillation and molecular sieves the interaction between factors generated six treatments, each of which was repeated three times. The study found significant differences in the variables of alcohol content and yield, while there were no differences in pH and ratio/biomass. Treatment T6 was identified as the most feasible for biofuel production, with a pH of 5.86, 83% alcohol content, 76.67 mL ratio/ biomass, and 58.10% yield. Regarding the relationship between the production variables, the analysis of linear correlation revealed a strong, directly proportional correlation for all variables, with values ranging from 0.94 to 0.98.