Bio-oil extraction and physicochemical characterization of Caesalpinia pulcherrima plant seed oil

ABSTRACT

Dwarf Poinciana (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) seeds are studied for first time for the extraction of bio-oil. The dried and crushed seeds are optimized for maximum yield of bio-oil with a series of polar and nonpolar solvents and recovered by a simple distillation process. Methanol is found to yield the maximum bio-oil. The fatty acid analysis of bio-oil reveals the prevalence of linoleic acid (54.67%), followed by palmitic acid (16.9%), stearic acid (12.5%), and oleic acid (10.32%). Basic fuel properties like specific gravity, viscosity, refractive index, iodine value, saponification value, fire point, flash point, pour point, and calorific value are studied.

KEYWORDS:

• Caesipinia pulcherrima
• Dwarf Poinciana
• GC-MS
• methanol
• oleic acid
• Soxhlet extractor
• stearic acid