Extraction and characterisation of oil from Delonix regia seeds.

Abstract

The characteristic of Delonix regia seed oil was investigated with a view to establish its suitability for use as feedstock the production of biodiesel. The seeds were removed from the Delonix regia pods and boiled for 30minutes to enhance the easy removal of the seed coat and extraction of oil from the seeds. The boiled seeds were dehulled, sundried and milled using a Burr mill. The Delonix regia seed oil was extracted and characterized using the Soxhlet extractor and standard methods respectively. The results showed that the Delonix regia seed oil contains 29.0%. The density (kg/m3), flash point (oC), kinematic viscosity at 40oC (mm2/s) are 0.942, 201.30 and 43.75 respectively. The Saponification value (mg KOH/g), iodine value (g/100) value, acid value (mg KOH/g) and free fatty acid (mg KOH/g) for the Delonix regia seed oil are 213.48, 127.92, 1.97 and 0.985 respectively. The higher acid value, viscosity and flash point make it unsuitable for direct use in combustion engines without further processing. It can be concluded that the low saponification value and higher molecular weight will make Delonix regia seed oil suitable for use as biodiesel feedstock.