Simarouba Glauca Biodiesel as a Potential Renewable Alternative to Petro-Diesel in India
2014
Biodiesel is the most valuable form of renewable energy. The high non-edible oil content in the Simarouba glauca kernel makes it an appropriate candidate for production of biodiesel. It was first introduced in India from El Salvador during 1961. Then it has naturalized itself and large plantations exist in southern states of India for sole purpose of soil and water conservation. It has oil content of 61% in its kernel, which is non-edible in nature. Extraction of oil from Simarouba kernels is done in an innovative way. Due to the presence of high total lipid and low fiber, expelling the kernel directly resulted in the formation of semi-solid plastic mass, which simply rotated in the barrel with no oil recovery. This problem was overcome by suitable admixing of the kernels with groundnut husk or the pressed cake. The heat generated during the 2ⁿᵈ and 3ʳᵈ passes helped easy passage of the oil from the capillaries. Free fatty acid value of the Simarouba oil is found to be 24. The oil is transesterified in homogeneous catalysis method in three stages – two acid catalysis and one alkali catalysis process. The produced biodiesel is pale in colour and confirmed through TLC and HPLC. This un-exploited tree borne oil has all the potential to be a renewable alternative to petro-diesel in India.
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