Optimization of Process Conditions affecting Percentage Oil Yield from Big Seeded Varieties of castor-oil plant, (Ricinus communis) Seed

Abstract

The objective of this study is to optimize reaction time, reaction temperature and their interactive effects on the oil yield of big seeded varieties of castor-oil plant, (Ricinus communis) seed using response surface methodology (RSM). Thirteen (13) experiments with different combinations of reaction time ( ) and reaction temperature ( ) ranging from 1hr (60mins) to 10hrs (600mins) and 60^oC to 100^oC respectively were performed. A quadratic polynomial model was obtained to predict the percentage oil yield for the big seeded varieties of castor seed. Our result show that the optimal conditions for the oil yield within the experimental range of the variables studied were 8.68hrs (520.92mins) and 94.14^oC respectively. These values of the optimum process conditions were then fitted into the quadratic polynomial model to predict the optimum value of big seeded varieties of castor seed oil yield found to be 55.76%.  The model has a p-value less than 0.05 having a coefficient of determination R² value of 0.9530 indicating that the model explained 95.30% of variation in the original data. The result also presented an adjusted R² value of 91.95% and predicted R² value of 66.59% which suggest that the model could explain 67% of variation in predicting novel observations. The optimization process employed in this study, clearly aid us to know the percentage yield of oil that could be extracted from big seeded varieties of castor seed and the optimum yield value possible at a certain reaction time and reaction temperature.