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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #301280
Title: Kapok oil methyl esters

Author
item RASHID, UMER - Universiti Putra Malaysia
item Knothe, Gerhard
item YUNUS, ROBIAH - Universiti Putra Malaysia
item Evangelista, Roque

Submitted to: Biomass and Bioenergy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/13/2014
Publication Date: 4/3/2014
Citation: Rashid, U., Knothe, G., Yunus, R., Evangelista, R.L. 2014. Kapok oil methyl esters. Biomass and Bioenergy. 66:419-425.

Interpretive Summary: Biodiesel, an alternative to diesel fuel obtained from petroleum, is commonly produced from vegetable oils such as soybean oil or other feedstocks such as animal fats and waste frying oils. Overall, insufficient amounts of such oils and fats are available for biodiesel production to replace all conventional diesel fuel. Therefore, increasing attention is being paid to vegetable oils that not have been commonly studied or used for biodiesel production. In this connection, the seed oil of a tree called kapok was used for producing biodiesel and the fuel properties studied. The overall fuel properties of biodiesel produced from kapok oil are acceptable compared to other biodiesel fuels. Furthermore, because the fiber of kapok seed oil is used for pulp and paper production, producing biodiesel or another industrial product from the oil is of interest regarding full industrial utilization of this plant.

Technical Abstract: The increased need for biodiesel feedstocks has caused various vegetable oils to be examined for this purpose. In the present work, the methyl esters of kapok (Ceiba pentandra) oil were prepared. The essential fuel properties were comprehensively determined and evaluated in comparison to specifications in biodiesel standards and some prior results. The kinematic viscosity of kapok oil methyl esters was greater than expected, an observation traced to the elevated amounts of methyl esters with cyclic moieties. The 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra of kapok methyl esters are reported.