Enzymatic Synthesis of Biodiesel from Jatropha tanjorensis Ellis and Saroja and its Potential as Biodiesel Feedstock

摘要

21st century has almost become "Green century" with an increased demand for plant products (bioenergy-oil). Hence, to develop a natural biodiesel feedstock, common species of Jalroplia in and around Thanjavur is selected based on its enriched monoalkyl ester content which could be a good source for generating biofuels. Tanjorensis seed oil were extracted and analyzed for its physico-chemical properties such as % free fatty acid, acid value iodine, peroxide, saponification values. P. aeruginosa crude lipase treated transesterification followed by GC-MS analysis of oil proved that oleic acid (37.3 %) and linoleic acid (33.3 %) were the principal fatty acids while palmitic acid and stearic acid being the major saturated fatty acids. Oil contents of Tanjorensis seed oil were comparable with the oil extracted from other species of Jatropha and were found to be close to oil from Jatropha curcas. Tanjorensis seed oil extracts could be useful in industrial applications and as a biodiesel feedstock.