Ricinus Communis Seed oils as a Source of Biodiesel; A Renewable Form of Future Energy

Diminishing supply and environmental pollution of fossil fuels are the vital factors leading to the search of alternative sources of energy like biodiesel. Biodiesel is one of the eco-friendly substitutes of energy which is mainly utilized in diesel engines. Ricinus communis (castor plant), which belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae yields an oil rich beans and plays important role in the production of biodiesel. Recently, the demand of castor oil and its products has been raised in the world market due to its versatility to use and simplicity to produce. Therefore, this study investigates the extraction of castor oil and its conversion in to biodiesel via alkali catalyzed transesterification. The seed oil of the plant was extracted using Soxhlet apparatus and the quality of the biodiesel was examined using the standard procedures of American standards for testing methods. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the extracted oil was examined using GC-MS. The seed oil was liquid at room temperature (25 °C), golden yellow in color with a nutty odor. The extraction processes yielded 324 g (9.25% w/w) and 78% of oil and biodiesel respectively. The density (0.86 g/mL), viscosity (5.42 mm2s-1), flash point (87 °C), acid value (0.35 mg KOH/g), water content (0.80%), iodine value (108.60), and cetane number (58.00) were reported in this study and showed a good agreement with the standards of biodiesel. GC-MS analysis of the seed oil also showed the presence of 10 different fatty acids (9-Octadecenoic acid, 12-hydroxy-, methyl ester, [R-(Z)] took the highest composition) which plays significant role for the production of methyl esters. So, the study can assure that castor oil can be used for commercial production of biodiesel at cost effective scales.