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Due to thegrowing awareness of fossil fuel depletion and environmental issues, biodiesel alternative fuel is currently of substantial interest. This research assessed herbal industry wastes as a potential resource for biodiesel production for the first time. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), obtained in the transesterification reaction, were extracted from the herbal samples by ultrasound-assisted extraction and identified withgas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. The presence of at least 20 (e.g., in chamomile and chicory) FAMEs, up to 31 in nettle and senna, was reported. The unsaturated FAMEs were found in higher amounts than saturated. Linoleic acidwas the major polyunsaturated FAME in herbal wastes, while palmitic acid was the major saturated FAME. The highest content of FAMEs was identified in rye bran, Figure tea, and chicory. According to the cetane number prediction, BS EN 14214:2012+A2:2019, and hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC)wastes from, e.g., nettle, sage, and senna, are the most suitable in biodiesel production with fuel properties acceptable by the EuropeanStandards.Principal component analysis and HCPC allowed to classify and groupsimilar plants according to their FAMEs content; however, additional studies of herbal biofuel properties are needed.

Due to the increasing awareness of the depletion of fossil fuel resources and environmental issues, biodiesel as alternative fuel has become more and more attractive in the recent years. In this research, the characterization of herbal industry wastes as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production was carried out. There results of analytical identification of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) obtained in the transesterification reaction are presented. The reaction conditions were optimized, considering hexane ratio and catalyst concentration (methanol and KOH) for both steps. The FAME were extracted from the herbal samples by ultrasound-assisted extraction and subsequently were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using single ion monitoring (SIM) method. Additionally, the selected properties of some bioesters were analyzed. This study determined the compounds which are ideal for fuel production. The unsaturated fatty acids were found in higher amounts than saturated fatty acids. Linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) was the major unsaturated fatty acid in herbal wastes, while palmitic acid (16:0) was the major saturated fatty acid. The application of the optimized method also revealed differences in the physical and chemical properties of isolated FAME mixtures compared to conventional diesel fuel. In this research work, for the first time, the possibilities of using the herbal industry wastes as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production are assessed.

Due to thegrowing awareness of fossil fuel depletion and environmental issues, biodiesel alternative fuel is currently of substantial interest. This research assessed herbal industry wastes as a potential resource for biodiesel production for the first time. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), obtained in the transesterification reaction, were extracted from the herbal samples by ultrasound-assisted extraction and identified withgas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. The presence of at least 20 (e.g., in chamomile and chicory) FAMEs, up to 31 in nettle and senna, was reported. The unsaturated FAMEs were found in higher amounts than saturated. Linoleic acidwas the major polyunsaturated FAME in herbal wastes, while palmitic acid was the major saturated FAME. The highest content of FAMEs was identified in rye bran, Figure tea, and chicory. According to the cetane number prediction, BS EN 14214:2012+A2:2019, and hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC)wastes from, e.g., nettle, sage, and senna, are the most suitable in biodiesel production with fuel properties acceptable by the EuropeanStandards.Principal component analysis and HCPC allowed to classify and groupsimilar plants according to their FAMEs content; however, additional studies of herbal biofuel properties are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]