Utilization of biodiesel by-products for mosquito control

• Preparation of biodiesel by-products (karanja and jatropha cake) based mosquito coil formulation.
• Bioefficacy evaluation of the coils against Aedes aegypti adults in terms of repellancy and knockdown effect.
• Confirmation of better performance of the botanicals when used in combination.

The current paper has elaborated the efficient utilization of non-edible oil seed cakes (NEOC), by-products of the bio-diesel extraction process to develop a herbal and novel mosquitocidal composition against the Aedes aegypti larvae. The composition consisted of botanical active ingredients, inerts, burning agents and preservatives; where the botanical active ingredients were karanja (Pongamia glabra) cake powder and jatropha (Jatropha curcas) cake powder, products left after the extraction of oil from karanja and jatropha seed. The percentage mortality value recorded for the combination with concentration, karanja cake powder (20%) and jatropha cake powder (20%), 1:1 was 96%. The coil formulations developed from these biodiesel by-products are of low cost, environmentally friendly and are less toxic than the synthetic active ingredients.