Physio-chemical Studies of Locally Sourced Non-Edible Oil: Prospective Feedstock for Renewable Diesel Production in Malaysia.

Physio-chemical properties of locally available waste cooking oil (WCO), jatropha oil (JO) - Jatropha curcas , rubber seed oil (RSO) - Hevea brasiliensis , kapok seed oil (KSO) - Ceiba pentandra and castor oil (CO) - Ricinus communis were characterized to assess and evaluate their potential use as renewable diesel production feedstock in Malaysia. Physio-chemical properties such as density, kinematic viscosity, moisture content, flash point, calorific value, iodine value, acid value and fatty acid composition were determined under standard analytical methods established by American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Among the non-edible oil evaluated, the promising physio-chemical properties of RSO and WCO were found to be most applicable to serve as the raw feedstock due to its low iodine content, high free fatty acid content and high flash point. Furthermore, RSO feedstock can reach up to the capacity of 60 million ton per annum with a total 1.2 million hectares of existing rubber tree plantation in Malaysia, which is approximately 500-fold more than that of the annual waste cooking oil available in Malaysia (0.12 million ton per year). Thus, it can be concluded that RSO has the most promising potential in serving as the raw material for renewable diesel production in Malaysia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]