Obtaining biodiesel from seeds of Ricinus communis: methodological proposal

In the present research, obtaining biodiesel by transesterification of vegetable oil contained in the wild seeds of Ricinus communis using methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide as a catalyst and varying the oil/methanol ratios in the reactor of transesterification, was studied. To determine the possibility of using biodiesel as a fuel in internal combustion engines, the final product was characterised according to the criteria specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the European Organization Standardization (EN), in ASTM D6751 and EN 14214, respectively. The results indicate that the 1:9 molar ratio is the most efficient, with the biodiesel obtained meets most of the parameters established by the ASTM and the EN. Thus, the methodology proposed to produce biodiesel from ricino seeds is feasible, since the final biodiesel presents favourable characteristics for its use as an alternative biofuel. [Received: January 10, 2021; Accepted: March 26, 2021]