Abstract:
Converting a poisonous, invasive weed into an environmentally friendly energysource provides a potent solution to achieve sustainability. Non-edible oil foundin thorny apple (Datura stramonium) seeds has exceptional potential for thecreation of sustainable biodiesel, despite being generally considered undesirabledue to its toxicity. In addition to removing the conflict between food and fuel,this inedible feedstock gives value to a plant that is frequently written off aswaste. Through improved transesterification procedures, the seed oil, which isabundant in long-chain fatty acids, can be effectively transformed into fatty acidmethyl esters (FAME). It was discovered that its seeds have a 27% oil contentand a 0.476% free fatty acid content. Bentonite clay, a clay-based nano-catalyst,was used in the transesterification reaction both in blank and calcined at varioustemperatures in order to maximize the quantity produced by thorn apple oilbiodiesel. BT clay was analytically characterized using energy dispersive X-rayspectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-raydiffraction (XRD). When BT was calcined at 500 degrees Celsius, it produced87% biodiesel, whereas blank BT was less effective for transesterification andproduced 43% of biodiesel. Because the catalytic sites were blocked, BTcalcined at 300°C produced 51% biodiesel, while BT calcined at 700°Cproduced 74%. Analytical methods such as Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis and GC-MS were used to further characterize theproduced biodiesel. Additionally, the thorny apple seed biodiesel's fuelcharacteristics, including its density (0.910 kg/L), pour point (-9 oC), cloudpoint (-12 oC), flash point (76 oC), kinematic viscosity (4.87 @40 oC), sulphurcontent (0.0005% wt), and total acid number (0.169 mg KOH/gm), were foundto be in compliance with ASTM protocols. As a result, thorny apple seed oilbecomes a new and ecologically safe feedstock that supports the idea of acircular bioeconomy and is consistent with sustainable energy standards.
Page(s):
71-71
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: 4th International Conference of Sciences “Revamped Scientific Outlook of 21st Century, 2025” , November 12,2025, Volume: 1, Issue: 1, Year: 2025
Keywords:
Nanocatalyst
,
,
Invasive weed
,
Claybased nanocatalyst
,
Thorn apple seed oil TAO