Since ethyl acetate showed good and comparable oil extraction properties to hexane, one of the most important applications would be to use it instead of hexane.

There are two main reasons why an alternative to hexane in extraction should be considered. First, hexane is a fossil fuel, the second largest component of natural gas next to methane. Secondly, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now considers hexane a hazardous air pollutant (HAP). It is monitored and regulated under the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program of the EPA. The most severe problem of controlling hexane is its inevitable loss daily into the environment. Hexane is also a simple physical hazard, because it is very unstable, and easily flammable and explosive.

The ethyl acetate can be prepared from ethanol, extracted from the jatropha cake itself, and ethanoic acid, leading to more a sustainable production and consumption cycle. See below for two common industrial methods of manufacturing ethyl acetate:

1. Classic Fischer esterification reaction of ethanol and acetic acid

    

   CH₃CH₂OH + CH₃COOH à CH₃COOCH₂CH₃ + H₂O

    

   Acid catalysts can accelerate this reaction, and removal of water can shift the equilibrium to the right.

2. Tishchenko reaction, combining two equivalents of acetaldehyde by an alkoxide catalyst

    

   2 CH₃CHO à CH₃COOCH₂CH₃