Experimental Study of Castor Oil from Plant Seed Ricinus Communis: Extraction and Chemical Modification

Abstract

Background:  In this research we have prepared sulphonated castor oil or Turkey red oil, by the continuous addition of concentrated sulphuric acid to castor oil with continuous stirring for 3 h at a temperature of 25-30 °C. Since this continuous reaction is stoichiometry, there is no formation of waste product, thus eliminating any consequences related pollution.

Objectives: This research paper is carried out by experimental study of castor oil, through extraction of oil from castor beans, characterization and chemical modification of extracted castor oil.

Methods: The n-hexane or petroleum ether was usedas a solvent for the extraction process. After extraction the castor oil was purified throughdegumming, neutralization and bleaching process using adsorbent activated clay. The extracted oil was chemically modifiedto produce Turkey red oil with the help of sulphonation reaction.

Results: The physico-chemical analysis revealed that all the physico-chemical properties of the extracted oil such as pH, acid value, iodine value, saponification value and specific gravity, viscosity, have almost similar values. In case of sulphonated castor oil the parameters like specific gravity, pH, iodine value, and acid value shows slight increase with respect to the standard values as per Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), whereas viscosity value has slight decrease. Remaining all parameters like reaction time, color of product and solubility were similar.

Conclusions: The synthesized sulphonated castor oil (Turkey red oil) could be valuable as additive in food industry (as excipient or additives), cosmetics (as a pigment remover), and in pharmaceutical industries as coating agent, polymer, antifungal agent, laxative, immunity booster, etc.