Detailed investigation of optimized alkali catalyzed transesterification of Jatropha oil for biodiesel production

The non-edible oils are believed to be one of the major feedstock for the production of biodiesel in future. In the present study, we investigated the production of Jatropha oil methyl esters (JOMEs) via alkali-catalyzed transesterification route. The biophysical characteristics of Jatropha oil were found within the optimal range in accordance with ASTM standards as a substitute diesel fuel. The chemical composition and production yield of as-synthesized biodiesel were confirmed by various analytical techniques such as FT-IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. A high percentage conversion, similar to 96.09%, of fatty acids into esters was achieved under optimized transesterification conditions with 6:1 oil to methanol ratio and 0.9 wt% NaOH for 50 min at similar to 60 degrees C. Moreover, twelve fatty acids methyl esters (FAME) were quantified in the GC/MS analysis and it was interesting to note that the mass fragmentation pattern of saturated, monounsaturated and diunsaturated FAME was comparable with the literature reported values.