Optimisation of solid liquid extraction of jatropha oil using petroleum ether

Abstract

Jatropha curcas I. is an oil‐bearing seed plant with a wide range of applications. The oil from the seeds of this plant has been used as an industrial raw material for many years. One of the important characteristics of jatropha oil is its potential for fuel and biodiesel production to meet the global energy demand. In this paper, solid–liquid extraction of jatropha oil from seeds using petroleum ether was optimised on the basis of the amount of the extracted oil. Four main factors, namely temperature, the solvent‐to‐solid ratio, the reaction time and the size of the raw material, were investigated to optimise extraction conditions for achieving the highest oil yield under experimental conditions. The kinetics of the extraction using petroleum ether as the solvent were also studied and fitted to a second‐order model. The free fatty acid (FFA) content of the oil was used as an index of the oil quality. The optimum conditions were found to be 7 h of reaction time, a temperature of 68 °C, a coarse particle size of 0.5–0.75 mm and a solvent‐to‐solid ratio of 6 : 1. Storing the ground seeds for one week before extraction had a remarkably negative effect on the quality of the oil produced (FFA ≈ 6.99%), whereas the quality of the oil was satisfactory when extracted from the seeds immediately after grinding (FFA ≈ 0.62%). The experimental data fitted well to the second‐order model with the saturation extraction capacity and the initial extraction rate increasing with increasing temperature. Copyright © 2012 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of Different Extraction Solvents on Oil Extracted from Jatropha Seeds and the Potential of Seed Residues as a Heat Provider

“…The particle size of the seeds used in the current study was determined as it is one of the important factors that affect the oil extraction process using solvents. An appropriate particle size of seeds may be needed to obtain the highest oil yield using a solvent, and this may also vary depending on the nature of the oilseed and its oil content [28]. Larger particles have a smaller surface area per unit volume, and this may result in reduced accessibility of the oil to the solvent.…”

“…Larger particles have a smaller surface area per unit volume, and this may result in reduced accessibility of the oil to the solvent. Very fine and powder-size particles have a larger surface area per unit volume, but the fine particles that contain oil may stick together and prevent the free interactions between the solid and solvent [18,28].…”

Solvent Extraction of Jatropha Oil for Biodiesel Production: Effects of Solvent-to-Solid Ratio, Particle Size, Type of Solvent, Extraction Time, and Temperature on Oil Yield

“…At solvent-tosolid ratio of 6 : 1, the oil yield appears to reach maximum of 47.5%, 46.2%, and 43% w/w for hexane, petroleum ether, and ethanol, respectively. Sayyar et al [28] while working on similar oil extractions reported oil yields of 47.3% and 46% w/w for n-hexane and petroleum ether, respectively, for solvent-to-solid ratio of 6 : 1 and 8h extraction time. Slightly higher values of optimum oil yields have been reported by Keneni et al [24] (48.29% w/w), Adeyinka [22] (56.69% w/w), and Yusuff [29] (56.69% w/w) while working with n-hexane for the similar materials.…”

Aqueous ethyl acetate as a novel solvent for the degreasing of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) larvae: degreasing rate, nutritional value evaluation of the degreased meal, and thermal properties

“…Traditional degreasing solvents include petroleum ether, n ‐hexane, isopropanol, ethyl acetate, etc . For example, Sayyar et al . optimized the Jatropha seed oil extraction process with petroleum ether, and Baker and Sullivan extracted the oil from soybean flakes with aqueous isopropanol.…”