Ethanolysis of camelina oil under supercritical condition with hexane as a co-solvent

Non-catalytic transesterification of camelina sativa oil under supercritical ethanol (SCE) conditions with hexane as a co-solvent was investigated to study the fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE) yields. This process enables simultaneous transesterification of triglycerides and ethyl esterification of fatty acids in a shorter reaction of time and may reduce the energy consumption due to simplified separation and purification steps. It was found that the co-solvent plays a vital role in reducing the severity of critical operational parameters and maximizes the biodiesel yield. The important variables affecting the ethyl ester yield during the transesterification reaction are the molar ratio of alcohol/oil, reaction time, reaction temperature and co-solvent to oil ratio. Camelina biodiesel samples were analyzed using FT-IR, GC-MS and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods. The fuel properties of camelina biodiesel produced were compared with those of the regular diesel and found to be conforming to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTMs) standards. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.