Green production of energetic Jatropha oil from de-shelled Jatropha curcas L. seeds using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

This study examined the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) in the extraction of triglycerides from de-shelled Jatropha curcas L. seeds. A central composite response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to evaluate the effects of pressure, temperature and solvent-to-solid ratio (SSR) on total yield (TY), concentration of triglycerides (CTG) and recovery of triglycerides (RTG). In the experiment, SC-CO2 extraction of 15 g ground, de-shelled Jatropha seeds at a CO2 flow rate of 25 mL/min was investigated under various pressure (250–350 bar), temperature (313–333 K) and SSR (60–100) conditions. The proposed quadratic model well fitted the RSM-designed data, and the statistical analyses showed that both pressure and SSR are important parameters that will significant affect the quality of extracted oil. Under a pressure of 350 bar, a temperature of 325 K and a SSR of 82, the values of TY, CTG and RTG were 43.0%, 936.2 mg/g, and 98.1%, respectively.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Higher concentration of triglycerides was obtained using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of de-shell Jatropha curcas L. seeds. ► Under an optimum pressure of 350 bar, a temperature of 325 K and a solvent to solid ratio of 82, concentration and recovery of triglycerides were 936.2 mg/g and 98.1%, respectively. ► The quality of SC-CO2 extracted oil was superior to that of Soxhlet n-hexane extracted oil, providing an alternative method for biodiesel production.