Extraction and Production of Biodiesel from Jatropha Curcas Seed Oil

Abstract

Jatropha curcas is an agricultural product with a variety of applications and enormous economic potentials for its seed oil. It contains high amount of oil in its seeds which can be converted to biodiesel- an alternative to petro-diesel. In this study, extraction of oil from Jatropha seeds using n-haxane and production of biodiesel from the oil was performed. The physicochemical characteristics of the oil extracted gave oil yield 42.19%, density 880kg/m3, iodine value 121.82 gI2/100g, acid value 1.178 mgKOH/g, free fatty acid value 0.59 mgKOH/g and saponification value 84.15 mgKOH/g. The result obtained from the biodiesel showed that the properties determined closely conformed with biodiesel standard. This indicate that the oil can be used as a source of energy.