Procedure
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By: Samuel (Reuben) Gurupatham

 

Procedure - Water Content

            Determine the mass of an empty beaker using an electronic scale. Then, add 10mL of Jatropha Oil to the beaker and record the mass again. Calculate the mass of the oil by subtracting the empty beaker mass from the oil and beaker mass. Next, separately weigh 1g of calcium chloride and add it to the beaker containing the Jatropha oil. Place the beaker on a hotplate at a temperature of 1000C for one hour. After the heating of the oil, record the mass of the jatropha oil again and calculate the difference in weights. Use the following formula to calculate the water content (%) of Jatropha Oil.

Water Content = (d / t) x 100

Where: d, represents the difference in oil weights in g.   

               t, represents the mass of the oil before heating in g.

Procedure – Iodine Value

Pour 2.5mL of Jatropha Oil into an Erlenmeyer flask. Add 20mL of cyclohexane and 25mL of Wijs reagent into the same flask. Mix the flask contents thoroughly and store the solution at a temperature of 200C for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, add 10mL of ‘15% Potassium Iodide Solution’ and 100mL of water to the solution. Record the mass of the solution using an electronic scale. Mix the contents thoroughly and titrate the solution with 0.1N of sodium thiosulfate until the yellow colour has disappeared. Then add 1mL of starch indicator to the flask and mix the contents while titrating the solution with 0.1N of sodium thiosulfate until the blue colour has disappeared. Calculate the iodine value (mg of iodine/g of oil) using the following formula.

Iodine value = (S) (0.01269) (100) / W

Where: S, represents the volume of sodium thiosulfate required to titrate the solution in mL.

             W, represents the weight of the sample titre in g.

Procedure – Acid Value

In an Erlenmeyer flask, dissolve 1mL of Jatropha Oil into 10mL of isopropyl alcohol. Then add two drops of phenolphthalein solution and mix the flask contents thoroughly. Titrate the solution with 0.1mol/L of sodium hydroxide until the solution stays pink for 10 seconds. Use the following formula to calculate the acid value.

Acid Value = (A x M x 40) / W

Where: A, represents amount of sodium hydroxide used to titrate the solution.

             M, represents the morality of the sodium hydroxide

             W, the weight of the Jatropha oil

 

Oxidation Stability Procedures

Experiment 1 – Jatropha Oil

Determine the moisture content, acid value and the iodine value of Jatropha Oil. Next, use a hot plate to subject some more oil to 700C for 45 minutes in the presence of oxygen. After the oxidation period, determine the acid value and the iodine value again. Repeat this process two more times to determine mean values.  

Experiment 2 – Jatropha Oil and TBHQ solutions

Measure 9.5mL of Jatropha Oil into a beaker. Measure 0.5mL of TBHQ into a separate beaker. Combine the two substances and mix until the TBHQ is dissolved. Next, use a hot plate to subject some more oil to 700C for 45 minutes in the presence of oxygen. Determine the acid value and the iodine value of the solution. Repeat the process two more times and determine the mean values. Repeat the entire process three more times using a solution containing 9.0mL of Jatropha Oil and 1.0mL of TBHQ.  

Experiment 3 – Jatropha Oil and IRGASTAB BD 100 solutions

Measure 9.5mL of Jatropha Oil into a beaker. Measure 0.5mL of IRGASTAB BD 100 into a separate beaker. Combine the two substances and mix thoroughly. Next, use a hot plate to subject some more oil to 700C for 45 minutes in the presence of oxygen. Determine the acid value and the iodine value of the solution. Repeat the process two more times and determine the mean values. Repeat the entire process three more times using a solution containing 9.0mL of Jatropha Oil and 1.0mL of IRGASTAB BD 100.