Reactive Extraction of Jatropha Seed for Biodiesel Production: Effect of Moisture Content of Jatropha Seed and Co-solvent Concentration

Biodiesel is one among the promising renewable fuels, holding various advantages compared with fossil fuel. In this study, reactive extraction of jatropha seed for biodiesel production was investigated. The effect of moisture content of jatropha seeds and cosolvent concentration was examined to determine the best performance of the biodiesel production yield. The co-solvent used is hexane. Design of experiments (DOE) was used to study the effect of moisture content of jatropha seed and co-solvent of hexane concentration on the yield of biodiesel. Generally, the moisture content of jatropha seeds and co-solvent concentration affected biodiesel production yield. The experimental result also shows that the transesterification rate was improved when compared to the system without co-solvents. It was found that the production of biodiesel achieved an optimum level of 68.3% biodiesel yield at the following reaction conditions, i.e. moisture content of jatropha seed of 1% and hexane to oil ratio of 6.9 (w/w).