Comparative characterization of Jatropha, soybean and commercial biodiesel

Oil was extracted from seeds of Jatropha Curcas, in high yields (up to 40% by weight). The extracted Jatropha oil was converted in a laboratory reactor to biodiesel by transesterification. Analysis of Jatropha oil and Jatropha biodiesel by GC/MS and GC/SIMDIS showed that Jatropha oil could be readily converted to a biodiesel product through NaOH catalyzed transesterification. The resulting biodiesel has desirable properties such as high cetane number and low flash point, which are major improvements over the properties of commercial biodiesel fuels.