Chemical constituents and energy content of some latex bearing plants

The latex bearing plants Plumeria alba, Calotropis procera, Euphorbia nerrifolia, Nerium indicum and Mimusops elengi were evaluated as potential renewable sources of energy and chemicals. Plant parts (leaf, stem, bark) and also whole plants were analyzed for elemental composition, oil, polyphenol, hydrocarbons, crude protein, α-cellulose, lignin and ash. The dry biomass yields were between 4.47 and 13.74 kg/plant. The carbon contents in whole plants varied from 38.5% to 44.9%, while hydrogen and nitrogen contents varied from 5.86% to 6.72% and 1.26% to 2.34%, respectively. The bark of the plants contained the highest amount of hydrocarbons (1.78–3.93%) and the leaves contained the lowest amounts (0.26–1.82%). The unsaponifiable materials and fatty acids in the oil fractions of whole plants ranged from 22.8% to 56.4% and 24.7% to 58.7%, respectively. The highest gross heat value was exhibited by C. procera (6145 cal/g) and the lowest by N. indicum (4405 cal/g). Hydrocarbon fractions were characterized by IR and 1H-NMR and by thermogravimetric analyses. The activation energy (Ea) in the third stage of decomposition was the greatest in the hydrocarbon fraction obtained from M. elengi (16.40 kJ mol−1) and the lowest for C. procera (3.96 kJ mol−1). The study indicated that the plant species might be suitable as alternative source of hydrocarbons and other phytochemicals.