Production of Biodiesel and its Physiochemical Properties Produced from Ricinus communis Seeds by Trans-Esterification Process

Abstract

In the wake of rising prices and unstable supply besides environmental issues, renewed attention has been paid to shifting away from the use of petroleum based fuels. The world’s energy demand is commencing its dependency on alternative fuels. Such alternative fuels in use today consist of bio-alcohols (such as ethanol), biomass, and natural oil/fat-derived fuels. In search for new energy sources, much attention is focused on biodiesel as a reliable and renewable resource that is to satisfy a significant part of the energy demands. The oil extracted from the dried seeds of Ricinus communis was used in the production of biodiesel under the condition of 3:1 methanol/oil molar ratio for 1hour at 65°C. The biodiesel produced was subjected to physiochemical analysis. The methyl esters produced were found to meet the ASTM standards for biodiesel. The results obtained from analysis of biodiesel from Ricinus communis include free fatty acid: 0.312%; acid value: 0.628mgKOH/g; specific gravity: 0.8937; kinematic velocity: 7.435Cst; refractive index: 1.6254; flash point: 155°C; fire point: 132°C; water content: 3.24%. Thus, the values obtained met with the ASTM standard making the sample a promising potential for biodiesel production. From the result of this work, the oil extracted from the Ricinus communis seed is a potential feedstock for the production of quality biodiesel since almost all the fuel characteristics met the ASTM standards for biodiesel.