Ultrasonic assisted in situ transesterification of Jatropha seed to biodiesel

Introduction Biodiesel has emerged as an alternate to petroleum diesel due to its energy security, employment generation and lower emissions1,2. It is estimated that all edible oils, if used for biodiesel production3, will not be sufficient for meeting fuel demand. Energy demand4 of Indian industry is also increasing gradually. All methodologies to prepare biodiesel involve extraction of oil from seeds, its purification followed by chemical reaction to prepare biodiesel under predetermined conditions of temperature and pressure5-6. Harvey et al7 reported preparation of biodiesel directly from Jatropha curcas seeds under conventional reflux conditions. Georgogianni et al8 studied in situ transesterification of sunflower oil seeds for preparation of biodiesel under ultrasonication. Biodiesel had been produced from J. curcas seed using varied catalysts and feedstock types9,10. Attempts have also been made to prepare biodiesel by carrying out in situ transesterification of J. curcas seed facilitated by ultrasonic irradiation11-14. This study optimizes reaction parameters involved in in situ production of biodiesel directly from J. curcas seed under ultrasonic conditions.