Conventional methods of expelling and solvent extraction are being used for extraction of Jatropha oil from its seeds. The most common way to produce biodiesel is through transesterification, especially alkali-catalyzed transesterification.
Is Jatropha a promising crop for biodiesel production?
Jatropha is a promising crop for biodiesel production but the technology is still in its infancy , . The development is still in progress but not much has been realised to date. Further, most of the studies focus on Jatropha plantations, oil extraction and biodiesel production.
How to make biodiesel from jatropha oil?
Solid acid catalyst Na/SiO 2 was also employed for the preparation of biodiesel from Jatropha oil under ultrasonication conditions (Kumar et al. 2010 ). The optimal conditions for biodiesel production are the molar ratio oil to methanol 1:9; catalyst concentration, 3 wt% of oil and 15 min reaction time under atmospheric pressure.
How to reduce seed cost in Jatropha biodiesel industry?
The reduction in the price of the seed from US$0.10 to US$0.08 per kg can decrease the price of the crude oil from US$0.83 to US$0.67 per litre . As a result, the process of mechanisation has become the primary development trend to reduce the seed cost in the Jatropha biodiesel industry.