Parametric study of reactive extraction of castor seed (Ricinus communis L.) for methyl ester production and its potential use as bio lubricant

Abstract

Castor oil methyl ester (COME) was produced by reactive extraction of castor seed and the purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of the reaction and to find out optimum reaction conditions. Reactive extraction of castor seed was carried out at varied reaction conditions such as oil to methanol molar ratio (1:50–1:250), catalyst concentration (0.5–2%), temperature (35–65°C) and rate of mixing (200–800rpm) and the effect of above parameters on reactive extraction were investigated. The optimum reaction conditions for reactive extraction were found to be 1% KOH (wt basis of oil), reaction temperature 65°C, reaction time 3h, methanol to oil molar ratio 250:1 and mixing speed of 600rpm. The kinetics of the reaction was studied and the activation energy was found to be 38.916kJmol−1. The potential use of COME as bio lubricants is promising due to its high viscosity, low pour point, and good lubricity. Economic analysis and sensitivity study of reactive extraction has been carried out which estimated the price of COME at $3.71/gal.