Quality assessment of oil and biodiesel derived from Balanites aegyptiaca collected from different regions of Rajasthan

Saini, Mahesh Kumar; Sharma, Paras; Prasad, Jagdish; Kothari, S.L.; Gour, Vinod Singh

Quality assessment of oil and biodiesel derived from Balanites aegyptiaca collected from different regions of Rajasthan

2019

Saini, Mahesh Kumar | Sharma, Paras | Prasad, Jagdish | Kothari, S.L. | Gour, Vinod Singh

Increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy resources has enhanced the importance of biodiesel. Balanites aegyptiaca is an underexplored plant with biodiesel potential and wide range adaptability. In the present study, variations in oil yield in samples of Balanites aegyptiaca collected from the different agro-climatic zone of Rajasthan have been explored. The fatty acid analysis was carried out using GC-FID and oil samples were compared for their fatty acid composition. Based on data of fatty acids, biodiesel parameters were estimated using a dry lab. The study reveals that out of the seven agro-climatic regions under study Jodhpur, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Kota and Alwar regions are the suitable regions to get high oil yield of B. aegyptiaca with statistically no significant difference in the oil yield. The oil is rich in oleic acid irrespective of the region. Oleic acid varied from ~39% to ~58% of the total fatty acids content. Density, kinematic viscosity, iodine value and cetane number of the biodiesel derived from the oil samples collected from all the regions follows the European biodiesel standards (EN 14214). The study will help in exploring the possibility of getting biodiesel from this salt and drought tolerant plant.

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