Biodiesel from Forsythia suspense [(Thunb.) Vahl (Oleaceae)] seed oil

In the present work, Forsythia suspense seed oil (FSSO) was investigated for the first time as an alternative non-conventional feedstock for the preparation of biodiesel. The FSSO yield is 30.08 ± 2.35% (dry weight of F. suspense seed basis), and the oil has low acid value (1.07 mg KOH/g). The fatty acid composition of FSSO exhibits the predominance of linoleic acid (72.89%) along with oleic acid (18.68%) and palmitic acid (5.65%), which is quite similar to that of sunflower oil. Moreover, microwave-assisted transesterification process of FSSO with methanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide catalyst was optimized and an optimal biodiesel yield (90.74 ± 2.02%) was obtained. Furthermore, the fuel properties of the biodiesel product were evaluated as against ASTM D-6751 biodiesel standards and an acceptable agreement was observed except the cetane number. Overall, this study revealed the possibility of FSSO as a potential resource of biodiesel feedstock.