Assessment of potential of croton gratissimus oil for macroscale production of biodiesel based on thermophysical properties

Quantitative assessments of the potential of a novel non-edible feedstock for biodiesel production are crucial for two reasons in addition to the primary concern of food security. The first is to find alternative fuels as replacements for dwindling reserves of fossil fuels. The second is to ascertain whether biodiesel produced from oil extracted from Croton gratissimus has properties close to that for biodiesel from other feedstock. C. gratissimus, a non-food grain, native to Africa, was collected from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its oil was extracted and characterized for its fatty acid profile and its acid and saponification values. The efficiencies of homogeneous (sulfuric acid) and heterogeneous (sulfated zirconia oxide) acid catalysts were evaluated. Sulfated zirconia oxide gave a better biodiesel yield of 84.65 ± 0.45% based on the oil weight compared to a biodiesel yield of 80.35 ± 1.05% given by sulfuric acid. The synthesized biodiesel, from C. gratissimus oil, was tested for its thermophysical properties, such as density, specific gravity, and refractive index, at various temperatures. In addition, differential thermal analysis was also performed. In general, the data from these studies indicate that C. gratissimus oil has great potential as a non-edible feedstock for industrial-scale synthesis of high-quality biodiesel.