LIPID PROFILE OF RUBBER SEED OIL (Hevea brasiliensis) ITS BIODIESEL, PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION

Rubber seed oil contains triglycerides and hence suitable for the production of biodiesel. The oil was transesterified to biodiesel using methanol as reagent and sodium hydroxide as catalyst. Gas Chromatographic (GC) and Mass Spectrometric (MS) analyses of the oil were carried out to determine the components and composition of the fatty acids. The G C analysis was performed on an Agilent 7890A GC equipped with a Flame Ionization Detector (FID) while the MS analysis was performed on the same Chromatography equipment but was coupled to an Agilent 5975 quadrupole Mass Selective Detector (MSD). Separation was achieved on a fused silica capillary type column HP-5 (25 m × 0.25 mm x 0.40 μm) with spit ratio 40:1. MS identification of the products was based on molecular mass, fragmentation patterns and by matching the spectra with a digital library. 6 distinct peaks were indentified with types and structure of fatty acids and synonyms. The cloud and points are above freezing and the flash point is above the minimum for biodiesel.