Implementation of the supercritical CO₂ technology for the extraction of candlenut oil as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production: potential and limitations

ABSTRACT

The demand for renewable energy has risen rapidly due to the depletion of petroleum oil. Biodiesel has attracted potential interest to be utilized as an alternative to petroleum oil since it is produced from renewable resources with minimal environmental impact. However, the production and quality of biodiesel potentially influence several factors including physicochemical properties of lipids, selection of feedstock, and technology utilized for lipids extraction. Candlenut contains the highest amount of oil among the oilseed crops. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) is viewed as an effective alternative method over conventional solvent extraction methods for the extraction and separation of lipids from various plant matrices. The distinct properties of the fluid CO_2, such as nonflammability, nontoxicity, environmental friendliness, and its ability to solubilize lipophilic substance led to the wide application of the scCO₂ in various industrial applications. Hence, the present study attempts to review the influence of the supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) technology for the extraction of lipids from candlenut as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. The limitations of existing technologies in candlenut oil extraction and the potential scCO₂ technology for the extraction of lipids from candlenut were also reviewed.

KEYWORDS:

• Biofuel
• Candlenut
• Lipids
• Supercritical Co₂
• Biodiesel
• Renewable energy

Acknowledgments

Authors gratefully acknowledge to the Ministry of Higher Education (MoE), Malaysia for providing Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (Grant No. - 203/PTEKIND/6711817) as financial support for completing this study.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia [203 / PTEKIND / 6711817].