Solvent Extraction Of Oil Research Articles

Research on seeds compression‐structural damage and castor oil extraction mechanism with in situ observation

AbstractCastor oil has attracted large attention for wide applications, including lubrication oil and bioenergy resources. Castor seeds mechanical pressing is widely used for oil extraction. To better research castor seeds mechanical‐structural damage behavior and oil extraction mechanism during extrusion, a self‐developed mechanical pressing test setup combined with in situ observation is built for oil output behavior. Influencing factors of working pressure, speed, temperature and creep time on oil outflow were investigated. The results indicate that seeds squeezing extraction can be divided into three stages, preloading, oil discharging, compressing consolidation stage, matching with pressing cake structural evolution. As working pressure increases, oil yield shows an upper parabola relation with pressure. When pressure exceeding 25 MPa, castor oil yield increasing tends to stabilize, reaching 38%. Speed effect showed down parabola relation on oil yield, opposite to stress factor. Creep time promoted oil output with upper parabola within 720 s. When temperature below 120°C, a linear increasing relation on oil yield presents. Oil yield decreases when above 120°C. This research provides in‐depth theoretical guidance for industrial castor oil extraction.Practical ApplicationsCastor seeds are rich in oil content. Extracted castor oil has been widely used for industrial applications such as biodiesel, lubricants, medicine. Mechanical extraction working parameters optimization can improve oil yield of castor seeds. The research provides a basic working optimization for castor seeds oil extraction. Castor oil has unique properties and has been proved to be a high promising renewable and independent energy sources. Compared with solvent oil extraction, mechanical oil pressing extraction method has higher oil quality and safety. The mechanical extracted oil is pure without organic solvent. In the research, castor seeds compression‐structural damage property and oil extraction mechanism were studied. Besides, the influence factors including compression pressure, speed, temperature and creep time are analyzed, working optimization for castor seeds oil extraction. The research provides important reference value for the mechanical pressing process and mechanical design of castor seeds in the practical applications.

Optimization of avocado oil solvent extraction assisted by CaCO3 as coadjuvant using Response Surface Methodology

Coadjuvants, such as CaCO3, are essential to improve the effectiveness of the extraction process. This study aimed to assess how the addition of CaCO3 as a coadjuvant impacts the yield of avocado oil through the process of solvent extraction using hexane. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize parameters influencing oil yield during solvent extraction. A Box-Behnken design with three factors and three levels was utilized for the optimization process. Factors involved are, concentration of CaCO3 (1, 1.5, 2%), extraction time (30, 60, 90 min), and temperature of extraction (25, 35, 45 °C). The linear model provided the most accurate fit to the experimental data, substantiated by the highest determination coefficient (R2) value. The experiment showed that the highest yield of avocado oil, reaching 48.06%, was obtained by extracting it under the specified conditions: a CaCO3 concentration of 1.92%, an extraction time of 89.85 minutes, and a temperature of 43 °C. The extraction yield of 48.77±0.14% obtained from the experiments using optimized conditions.

Extraction of high-quality rice bran oil with CO2-expanded acetone for biofuel production

The high costs incurred in crude bio-oil refineries and environmental pollution during solvent oil extraction need to be addressed. Herein, a green technology for rice bran oil extraction using CO2-expanded acetone was investigated. The extraction conditions were optimized using the response surface method with a central composite rotatable design at a temperature range of 20–30 ℃, pressure range of 4.0–6.0 MPa, and a mole fraction of 0.70–0.82 CO2. In addition, the oil extraction and quality profiles at the optimum conditions were compared with the conditions offering the highest rice bran oil quality. The extracted rice bran oil had a phosphorus concentration of <18 ppm and the extraction yield increased upon a decrease in the CO2 mole fraction. The optimum conditions of 25 ℃, 5.0 MPa, and 0.76 CO2 mole fraction yielded a 4.2 ppm phosphorus concentration, 0.237 g-oil/g-sample oil yield, and a 9.60 wt% free fatty acid (FFA) concentration. Further, the separation of oil portions extracted at optimum conditions beyond 10th min of 120 min of extraction time, resulted in >52% rice bran oil with <5 ppm phosphorus concentration and <5 wt% FFA. CO2-expanded acetone was proven an efficient solvent for rice bran oil extraction, offering a wide range of extraction conditions and affording high-quality oil without requiring a refinery process.

Biodiesel Production from a Naturally Grown Green Algae Spirogyra Using Heterogeneous Catalyst: An Approach to RSM Optimization Technique

The present study focuses on oil extraction and biodiesel production from naturally grown green Spirogyra algae. Solvent oil extraction and oil expeller techniques were used to extract the Spirogyra algae oil (SALO), and the oil yields were compared to identify the most productive method. Using chicken eggshell waste (CESW) heterogeneous catalyst (HC) was prepared for the production of Spirogyra algae oil biodiesel (SALOBD). Furthermore, Box–Behnken (BB) assisted response surface method (RSM), an optimisation technique, was used in this study to achieve maximum algae biodiesel yield. From the 29 experimental trails, 96.18 % SALOBD was achieved at molar ratio (10:1), heterogeneous catalyst (0.6 wt.%), temperature (48 oC), and time (180 minutes). The predicted values of R2 (97.51%) and Adj. R2 (95.02 %) is found to be encouraging and fits well with the experimental values. The output results show that HC was identified as the significant process constraint followed by the time. The fatty acid composition (FAC) analysis by Gas Chromatography (GCMS) reveals the presence of 29.3 % unsaturated composition and 68.39 wt. % of the saturated composition. Finally, the important fuel properties of SALOBD were identified in accordance with ASTM D6751. The results obtained using chicken eggshell waste (CESW) for the production of biodiesel were recommended as a diesel fuel replacement to resist energy and environmental calamities.

Optimization of Solvent Oil Extraction from Sandbox (Hura crepitans Linn.) Seeds

Due to increasing demand for food, industrial applications and biodiesel production on vegetable oils, optimization of oil extraction processes has become imperative to obtain maximum oil yield from vegetable oil feedstocks. The effect of process factors: moisture content, roasting temperature, and time, extraction temperature, and time on oil yield from sandbox seed by solvent extraction were investigated using a 5 × 5 Central Composite Rotatable (Experimental) Design of Response Surface Methodology. Results obtained were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and SPSS statistical tool at (p = 0.05). The optimum conditions predicted were validated by experiments. The American Oil Chemists’ Society AOCS 5-04 standard procedure for solvent extraction was used in the experiment. The oil yield from the sandbox seed ranged from 20.9-53.6%, and was increased at the range (6-10%) moisture content, (80-100°C) roasting temperature, (5-15 min) roasting time, (90-100°C) extraction temperature and (90-150 min) extraction time. The optimum oil yield of 53.6% was obtained at the processing conditions of 10.0% moisture content, 95oC roasting temperature, 15 min roasting time, 65oC extraction temperature, and 90 min extraction time. Mathematical models to predict sandbox seed oil yield at varying process conditions were developed with an R2 (0.81). The optimum extractable oil yield of 57.10% was predicted for sandbox seed at processing conditions of 10.25% moisture content, 98.72oC roasting temperature, 17.63 min roasting time, 67.01oC extraction temperature, and 96.6 min extraction time. The study results provide data for equipment and process designs for oil extraction from the sandbox and other oilseeds.

초음파와 대두유 용매를 이용한 감 껍질 추출물의 이화학적 특성

Persimmon peels are mostly discared as a by-product of dried persimmon manufacturing, but effective use is required as it contains various functional constituents. This study covers the preparation of carotenoid-enriched oil by ultrasound treatment of persimmon peel in soybean oil solvent, and the investigation of its physicochemical characteristics. Using the Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology, the optimal extraction conditions (temperature, 62°C; time, 32 min; and persimmon peel to oil ratio, 1:3.1) were determined based on the carotenoid concentration of the extract. The physicochemical characteristics of the extract obtained under optimal conditions and the untreated soybean oil (control) were compared. The total carotenoid content of the extract increased. The carotenoid-enriched soybean oils had a lighter color than the controls, but with high redness and yellowness values. The effect of sonication and a component of the persimmon peel on the oxidation and heating stability of soybean oil was weak. The viscosity and activation energy of carotenoid-enriched soybean oil were slightly higher than those of the control. Thus, it was possible to prepare yellow-red carotenoid-enriched soybean oil by applying ultrasonic-soybean oil solvent extraction to persimmon peel. The oil is expected to be useful as an additive as well as a substitute for general edible oils.

Preparation and physicochemical properties of naturally grown green Spirogyra algae biodiesel

In this study, biodiesel was produced from a naturally grown green algae (Spirogyra). The algae were cultivated in an open pond for 180 days without any fertilizers or nutrients. The dried algae powder to oil yield and significant fuel properties of viscosity, density, cetane number, calorific value, flash point, pour, and cloud points are investigated for B10 to B100 blends. The results of solvent oil extraction show that at a 1:2 (algae powder to solvent) ratio and 65 ?C, algae oil yield was 22.66%. Furthermore, Box-Behnken assisted response surface optimization technique was implemented. From the 29 random experiments, 96.24% Spirogyra algae oil biodiesel (SAOBD) yield was achieved under the optimum conditions of 50 ?C, 180 minutes, the molar ratio of 9:1, and catalyst concentration of 0.5 wt%. The fatty acid composition reveals that 73.95 wt% saturated FAC was observed in SAOBD. The significant fuel properties are measured by following ASTM-D6751 standards, and 40% SAOBD in diesel fuel could be an optimum blend ratio for engine experimentation. Finally, regression equations with high correlation coefficients (R2) were developed to predict the various blend ratios for the fuel properties.

Solvent extraction of oil from three cultivars of Nigerian mango seed kernel: Process modeling, GA - optimization, nonlinear kinetics and comparative characterization

This work investigated the physicochemical and instrumental characterization of oil optimally extracted from three species of mango kernels (Alphonso, Glenn and Fazli) by highlighting their isolated qualities. The effect of temperature (40-58 °C), dosage (0.0033-0.0267 g/mL) and time (0-360 min) was varied at the course of experiment. It was observed that while temperature increment had a corresponding positive impact on mango kernel oil extraction efficiency, the influence of dosage produced a quadratic effect, reaching maximum efficiency at 0.017 g/mL, beyond which an undesirable decline was recorded. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of process factors gave an F-value of > 80.5 for temperature, indicating that temperature was the most important parameter that influenced the extraction process, while kernel dosage having F-value < 20 was the least influential process parameter. Process optimization by response surface methodology coupled genetic algorithm (RSM-GA) gave an optimum validation yield of 13.62%, 14.7% and 16.1% for Fazli, Glenn and Alphonso, respectively, at temperature of 56.61 °C, dosage of 0.021 g/mL and extraction time of 275 min. Error function indices obtained from comparative kinetic modeling illustrated that the extraction process was best described by pseudo second order model (R2 > 0.96, Adj-R2 > 0.95). Also, Elovich kinetics highlighted the dominance of rate diffusion over washing mechanism in the extraction process. Physicochemical characterization showed that while all the mango kernel oil (MKO) species exhibited stability against oxidative rancidity, Alphonso species having an acid value of 2.74 mg KOH/g and 1.37% free fatty acid value, highlighted its superior physicochemical qualities over Fazli and Glenn mango kernel oil. GC-MS analysis portrayed the dominance of stearic and palmitic saturated fatty acids in all the three species while myristic acid was only detected in Alphonso mango kernel oil (MKO), emphasizing its application in food and cosmetics industries. X-ray florescence (XRF) demonstrated the significant presence of molybdenum (Mo) element in Glenn mango kernel oil, revealing its unique suitability for application in synthesis of special purpose industrial lubricants. For Alphonso mango kernel oil, XRF revealed that while this oil species has potential application in the production of lubricants with high detergent properties, caution must be taken in the utilization due to the presence of sulphur element in the sample.

Physicochemical analysis and oil extraction yield of moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed

Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae) is fast growing, drought resistant tropical tree mostly found in Asian countries. Moringa is known as miracle plant due to its numerous health benefits and biological properties. Seeds of M. oleifera contain up to 35-40% of nondrying and pale yellow oil that is being utilized for illuminations because it burns without producing smoke. The current research was aimed to investigate extracted oil percentage and physicochemical characteristics of moringa seed oil. Proximate analysis of moringa seed powder was carried out and resulted that it has moisture 6.64±0.343%, crude protein 30.60±1.105 %, crude fat 24.06±1.520, crude fiber 7.07±0.367, ash 3.61±0.046 and nitrogen free extract 28.00±1.41%.Mineral profiling of moringa seed powder was done and calcium was found in higher amount of 356.67 ±15.53 mg/g than all other minerals. Concentration of magnesium was more prominent followed by calcium which was 285.71± 3.51 mg/g. Moringa oil was extracted by solvent and cold press extraction technique and oil percentage of solvent extracted was 24.06 % as compared to mechanical extracted which was 22.47%. Moringa oil extracted by the solvent extraction showed that it contained 0.026±0.005 % moisture, 184.473±0.567 mgKOH/g saponification value which is greater than the value obtained by the solvent extraction.

Physicochemical analysis and oil extraction yield of moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed

Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae) is fast growing, drought resistant tropical tree mostly found in Asian countries. Moringa is known as miracle plant due to its numerous health benefits and biological properties. Seeds of M. oleifera contain up to 35-40% of nondrying and pale yellow oil that is being utilized for illuminations because it burns without producing smoke. The current research was aimed to investigate extracted oil percentage and physicochemical characteristics of moringa seed oil. Proximate analysis of moringa seed powder was carried out and resulted that it has moisture 6.64±0.343%, crude protein 30.60±1.105 %, crude fat 24.06±1.520, crude fiber 7.07±0.367, ash 3.61±0.046 and nitrogen free extract 28.00±1.41%.Mineral profiling of moringa seed powder was done and calcium was found in higher amount of 356.67 ±15.53 mg/g than all other minerals. Concentration of magnesium was more prominent followed by calcium which was 285.71± 3.51 mg/g. Moringa oil was extracted by solvent and cold press extraction technique and oil percentage of solvent extracted was 24.06 % as compared to mechanical extracted which was 22.47%. Moringa oil extracted by the solvent extraction showed that it contained 0.026±0.005 % moisture, 184.473±0.567 mgKOH/g saponification value which is greater than the value obtained by the solvent extraction.

Effects of Parameters on Solvent Extraction of Oil From Sandbox (Hura Crepitans) Seed Oil Using 2^4 Factorial Design

The present work deals with the production of biodiesel from Sandbox (Hura crepitans) seed oil and the optimization of the parameters that influence the transesterification of Sandbox (Hura crepitans)seed oil into biodiesel using Response Surface Methodology. Hura crepitans oil was obtained from by using hydraulic press for Mechanical and n-hexane for solvent extraction. Esterification was done using methanol and sodium hydroxide. A total of 48 experiments using Central Composite Design were carried out. The R-Squared, Adequate Precision, Predicted and Adjusted R-Squared values were 0.9367, 19.219, 0.8576 and 0.9070 respectively. The result of the extraction of oil, physiochemical properties, and optimization process shows that sandbox (Hura crepitans) seed oil has characteristics that are more favorable to biodiesel production. The optimal conditions for extraction of oil from sandbox seed oil were given as alcohol/ oil ratio of 5.0, catalyst amount of 20 g/ml, extraction temperature of 60 ºC, and extraction time of 45.01 minutes, with the predicted oil yield as 97.33% respectively which shows that the experimental values are in good agreement with predicted values.

Central Composite Design for Solvent Extraction of Oil from Neem (Azadirachta indica) seed

Optimization of neem oil extraction using Central Composite Design (CCD) was evaluated in this research. The effects of two factors: sample weight and extraction duration on the response which is neem oil volume extracted, were investigated. The CCD employed resulted in 13 experimental runs. Extraction was carried out in a 250 ml Soxhlet extractor. Hexane was used as solvent with thermostated heating mantle at temperature 60°C. Results obtained shows the optimized values of 54.69% of neem oil was obtained with 25 g weight of sample with extraction time of 12hours. The r2 and r2adj values were close to 1 which indicates that the regression model was a good one.

Optimization and technoeconomic analysis of biooil extraction from Calophyllum inophyllum L. seeds by ultrasonic assisted solvent oil extraction

In the present investigation, the bio-oil extraction from Calophyllum inophyllum seeds using an ultrasonic-assisted heterogeneous solvent technique has been carried out in order to avoid diminishing the oil property and quality by high temperature. The application of different combinations of solvent extraction has been examined using Diethyl ether:Ethanol, Chloroform:Methanol, and Isopropanol: Methanol. The results reveals that the equal ratio of Diethyl ether:Ethanol in assistance with ultrasonic waves yields maximum oil extraction. The other optimized process conditions determined by central composite design was found to be the seed kernel to the solvent ratio of 1:15 (w:v); time 45 min; temperature 36 °C and ultrasonication power of 54 % yields maximum bio-oil of 82.8 % (w/w). The kinetic study denotes that the oil extraction process follows first-order kinetics. The presence of different functional groups, as well as volatile compounds in the extracted oil, were confirmed by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This confirms the presence of 22.11 % of free fatty acid content in the extracted bio-oil. The techno-economic analysis of 4.4 million kg of oil extract plant was investigated. The annual revenue estimated from the oil is 2,097,000 $/yr and the payback period is 5.43 years.

Chronological Review and Rational and Future Prospects of Cannabis-Based Drug Development.

Despite the surge in cannabis chemistry research and its biological and medical activity, only a few cannabis-based pharmaceutical-grade drugs have been developed and marketed to date. Not many of these drugs are Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, and some are still going through regulation processes. Active compounds including cannabinergic compounds (i.e., molecules targeted to modulate the endocannabinoid system) or phytocannabinoid analogues (cannabinoids produced by the plant) may be developed into single-molecule drugs. However, since in many cases treatment with whole-plant extract (whether as a solvent extraction, galenic preparation, or crude oil) is preferred over treatment with a single purified molecule, some more recently developed cannabis-derived drugs contain several molecules. Different combinations of active plant ingredients (API) from cannabis with proven synergies may be identified and developed as drugs to treat different medical conditions. However, possible negative effects between cannabis compounds should also be considered, as well as the effect of the cannabis treatment on the endocannabinoid system. FDA registration of single, few, or multiple molecules as drugs is a challenging process, and certain considerations that should be reviewed in this process, including issues of drug–drug interactions, are also discussed here.

Process modeling of solvent extraction of oil from Hura crepitans seeds: adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system versus response surface methodology

Vegetable oils are a very important feedstock for many industries such as biofuels. There is the need to source for novel and underexploited plant oilseeds to meet the world demand for oils. Thus, the extraction of oil from Hura crepitans (sandbox) seeds was conducted using the solvent extraction method. Modeling of the extraction process was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The effects of the nature of the solvent (non-polar (n-hexane) and polar (acetone and ethyl acetate)), solid-solvent ratio (0.1–0.3 g/mL), extraction time (2–6 h), and their interactions on the oil yield were investigated using the D-optimal design technique. Performance assessment of the developed models was carried out to check their effectiveness in predicting the H. crepitans seed oil (HCSO) yield using various fit statistics. The coefficient of determination (R2) observed for the RSM and ANFIS models was 0.9720 and 0.9988, respectively, with corresponding mean relative percent deviation (MRPD) of 2.50 and 0.37%. Maximum HCSO yield of 62.95 wt% was achieved by ANFIS coupled with genetic algorithm (GA) using 0.1 g/mL solid-solvent ratio, extraction time of 4.19 h, and acetone, while maximum HCSO yield of 62.50 wt% was observed by RSM with a solid-solvent ratio of 0.1 g/mL, extraction time of 4.04 h, and acetone. Characteristics of the HCSO indicated that it could serve as a good feedstock for the production of oleochemicals such as biodiesel. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that ANFIS is marginally superior to RSM in the modeling of the HCSO extraction process, while GA was slightly better than the numerical tool of RSM in the optimization of the process.

THE POTENTIAL OF FLOUR FROM SOLVENT-EXTRACTION HEMP OILCAKE AS AN INGREDIENT OF LOW-MOISTURE BAKERY PRODUCTS

The paper focuses on how to improve the nutritional value of traditional low moisture bakery products from wheat flour by using flour from hemp oilcakes obtained by solvent extraction of oil. It has been considered how to provide enough raw materials in the case of wide use of hemp and products of its processing in the food industry. The main tendencies in cultivating and applying industrial hemp in Ukraine and worldwide have been outlined; the chemical composition of hemp seeds (the plant’s part mainly used in food products) has been analysed and characterised; and it has been suggested how hemp by-products can be used in the bakery technology. It has been studied whether flour from hemp extraction cake can be used in the technology of low-moisture bakery products such as breadsticks. It has been found that 10, 15, and 20% of hemp flour added to wheat flour increase the water absorption capacity of the resulting flour blend by 3, 6, and 13% respectively, in comparison with the control. If hemp flour is included in the formulation of breadstick dough, the slackness of a dough ball increases by 6.1, 7.4, and 11%, and this increase is bigger, the higher the hemp flour content in the formulation is. However, it has been found that if the flour component of the recipe is partly replaced with hemp flour, this changes the growth medium of yeast cells and lactic acid bacteria and thus leads to a 23, 16, and 30% decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide formed during the 180 min fermentation period of the dough. The 6, 16, and 40% increase of titratable acidity in the samples analysed is due to the content of biogenic and oligobiogenic elements in the flour mixture, which satisfy the needs of lactic acid bacteria rather than those of baker’s yeast. The quality assessment of the finished products by their sensory and physicochemical characteristics has shown how promising it is to use hemp flour in the breadstick technology, provided that the recipe and the production parameters are modified to improve the products’ rheological properties and quality.

Efekti promene varijabli obrade ulja iz semena Sendbox (Hura crepitans Linn.) - mehaničko izdvajanje

Cost of solvent oil extraction methods has made mechanical oil expression a desirable alternative. The effect of process variables on mechanical oil expression from sandbox seed was studied. The experimental design used for the study was a 52 Central Composite Rotatable Design of Response Surface Methodology. Experimental factors considered were: moisture content, roasting temperature, roasting time, expression pressure and expression time. Results obtained were analyzed at a0.05. The oil yield from the sandbox seed ranged from 16.38-38.68%, and was increased at processing variable ranges of (4.0-8.0%) moisture content, (80.0-90.0°C) roasting temperature, (5.0-15.0%) roasting time, (15.0-20.0 MPa) expression pressure and (6.0-8.0 min) extraction time. The maximum oil yield of 38.68% was obtained at the processing conditions of 6% moisture content, 85 °C roasting temperature, 15 min roasting time, expression pressure of 20 MPa and 8 min pressing time. Model equation relating the process variables to oil yield was developed. Coefficient of determination (R2) relating the process was 0.8908. The result showed that moisture content, roasting time, expression pressure and expression time had a significant influence on the sandbox oil yield. The results obtained in this study can serve for process and equipment designs for oil extraction from sandbox and other oilseeds and nuts.

Biochar production from sewage sludge and microalgae mixtures: properties, sustainability and possible role in circular economy

In addition to the various options available for sewage sludge disposal, a possible process for sustainable resource recovery from this residue is its transformation into biochar, achieved by post-processing through pyrolysis. Biochar obtained from sewage sludge is considered one of the most interesting final products in a wastewater-based circular economy, as proven by the multitude of its possible uses tested so far in various applications. Recently, combined activated sludge (AS)-microalgae systems have been proposed to simultaneously remove both carbon and nutrients from wastewaters, as alternative to conventional technologies such as those based on denitrification and chemical phosphorus precipitation. Although this combined process could be efficient from the point of view of component removal from effluents, it generates potential issues to solid residue disposal practices, as algae normally respond poorly to traditional, mechanical drying processes. In this study, a disposal solution was investigated, consisting of pyrolysation of a mixed sludge/bioalgae matrix under different conditions: in such way, not only landfilled residuals are practically eliminated, but a material with multiple potential end uses is recovered. Process feedstock (algae, sludge and combinations thereof) and end-products (biochar and bio-oil) were characterised after pyrolysis under different conditions. Algae alone were also subject to preliminary solvent oil extraction to assess whether increased biochar production would result from such process variation (which it did, increasing biochar production by 25–33%). A comprehensive discussion on properties of end products as function of process design, possible applications in a circular economy cycle and advantages of co-pyrolysis follows.

Kinetics of Oil Extraction from Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana)

Oil from candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) was extracted using a solvent extraction technique. The influence of three parameters namely extraction time, extraction temperature as well as liquid to solid (L/S) ratio on the candlenut oil yield were studied to optimise the extraction conditions for achieving maximum oil yield. The maximum candlenut oil yield (35.67%) was achieved using methanol as a solvent at a temperature of 45oC for 80 min of extraction period. The optimum L/S ratio was 10ml/g. It was found that the candlenut oil yield increases with the increase of extraction time, extraction temperature and L/S ratio. Kinetics of solvent extraction of oil from candlenut was evaluated using Peleg’s model and Logarithmic model. The model parameters were calculated using the experimental data. The kinetics of candlenut oil extraction conforms very well to the Peleg’s model with a high R2 value of 0.9927 and low MRPD value of 1.827%. However, the Logarithmic model can fairly describe the candlenut oil extraction process with the values of R2 and MRPD of 0.9653 and 4.352%, respectively.

Optimization of Solvent Extraction of Oil from Watermelon (Citrullus lanata) and its Fatty Acid Characterization

Watermelon also known as Citrullus lanata is one of the major underutilized fruits grown in the warmer part of the world. Over the years, with respect to the high rate of production of watermelon along with lack of consciousness of the benefits, its seed has suffered negligence and consequently become waste. Due to the growing awareness of the usage of seed oil; there is need to maximize the use and identify the appropriate sets of parameters necessary for the optimum extraction of the oil. This research looked at the parametric effect of hot continuous extraction process at 60-700Cfor watermelon seed using response surface methodology, Box Behnken design with 3 variables which are time of extraction, solvent volume and size particle of 30-50 mins, 100-200 ml and 4-10 μm respectively. The optimized solution indicates that the time of extraction of 50 mins, 199.99 ml of solvent with 10 μm of size particle give the maximum oil yield of 68% compared to the maximum experimental oil yield of 52.5%. Free fatty acid (FFA) content in the oil was determined using (Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists), 2000 method which gives 17.35%, (higher than 1.0% standard) indicating the need to reduce the FFA content in the oil before the production of biodiesel to avoid low fatty methyl ester (FAME) production against high soap formation.