Search Results (18)

The treatment of oily wastewater represents a significant environmental challenge, requiring efficient separation technologies and waste valorization. This study evaluated different types of coagulants (ferric chloride 38% m/m, aluminum polychloride 18% m/m, aluminum sulfate 8% m/m, and ferrous sulfate 6% m/m) and anionic polymers (from six suppliers) for treating poultry slaughterhouse effluent, aiming to optimize both clarification and oil recovery from the floated sludge. Bench-scale jar tests (G = 300 s⁻¹ and 30 s⁻¹) were followed by full-scale validation in a dissolved air flotation unit (100 m³ h⁻¹) at a poultry processing WWTP. Recovered oil was extracted by hot cooking (95 °C) and tridecanter centrifugation, and its quality (moisture, acidity, saponification index) was assessed. A techno-economic analysis, including simple/discounted payback, NPV, IRR, Monte Carlo simulation (10,000 iterations, Python), and deterministic sensitivity analysis, was performed. Ferric chloride (38% m/m) produced the best technical results: treated effluent turbidity < 30 NTU, oil yield of 360 L day⁻¹ with moisture < 2% at the tridecanter outlet, and consistent sludge dewaterability (moisture 55–65%). Oil moisture increased dramatically (to >30%) after storage due to condensate contamination from an inefficient exhaust system, a critical operational flaw that must be corrected. No statistically significant effect of polymer type on oil recovery was observed, although high variability (CV > 50%) was noted during PAC tests. The simple payback period for ferric chloride was 60.7 months (discounted: 64.1 months), with a positive median NPV (USD 7925) under a 12% p.a. discount rate. Sensitivity analysis showed that the investment is most sensitive to oil price: a 20% drop in oil price leads to a negative NPV (−USD 21,727). Despite this risk, the project provides environmental compliance and waste-to-value benefits. The study demonstrates that ferric chloride enables effective oil extraction from poultry wastewater, but proper exhaust design is essential to maintain oil quality. Future work should focus on standardized test durations (≥72 h) and automated monitoring to reduce variability. Full article

Background: Neem seed oil (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is widely used in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries due to its antiseptic, fungicidal, pesticidal, and antioxidant properties, attributed to over 300 bioactive compounds and a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Methods: This study aimed to characterize a commercial sample of neem oil regarding its physicochemical properties and identity profile, using official methodologies from the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), and to compare the results with literature data. Results: The sample exhibited the following parameters: free fatty acids (2.0 ± 0.02%), acidity index (3.9 ± 0.04 mg KOH/g), peroxide value (3.2 ± 0.1 mEq/kg), iodine value (116 ± 12 g I₂/100 g), and saponification index (198 ± 8 mg KOH/g). The predominant coloration was yellowish, with total chlorophyll and carotenoid levels below the equipment’s quantification limits. Fatty acid composition was mainly long-chain (C16–C18), with notable levels of linoleic acid (46%), oleic acid (28%), palmitic acid (12%), linolenic acid (5.5%), and stearic acid (4.1%). The triacylglycerol profile showed a predominance of triunsaturated (51%) and diunsaturated species (41%). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis revealed crystallization events between −6 °C and −57 °C and fusion events between −44 °C and −1 °C, consistent with the high unsaturation level of the lipids. Conclusions: The analyzed neem oil sample meets quality and identity criteria, making it suitable for various industrial applications. The characterization confirms its potential and aligns with literature data, emphasizing its relevance for industrial use. Full article

Balanites aegyptiaca is a multipurpose fruit tree that grows wild in many arid and semi-arid African areas; however, recent domestication efforts have been undertaken to protect the species from the threat of urbanization and climate change. Within this context, the impact of the domestication of Algerian B. aegyptiaca was evaluated on its seed oil, which is already valued as food. Hence, oils from wild and domesticated trees were comparatively investigated for their physicochemical and compositional quality. Both oil types had a good oxidative stability and met the requirements for human consumption in terms of the saponification index, the free acidity, and the peroxide value. Moreover, they showed a comparable FA composition, with high levels of oleic and linoleic acids, which are beneficial for the consumer’s health. Domestication led to a statistically significant decrease in the tocopherols and polyphenols in the oil. The phytosterols and squalene were slightly lower in the domesticated oil than in the wild relative, although no statistically significant differences were observed. A comparable mineral profile was revealed and the minimal variations in the trace elements between the oils could be related to the natural variability in the seeds. Hopefully, this study will encourage the domestication of B. aegyptiaca as a sustainable strategy for enhancing its socioeconomic value in Algerian rural areas. Full article

In Mexico, there is a deficit in the production of pine resin, because it relies on natural forests only. Therefore, it is necessary to select provenances and phenotypes of potential species such as P. oocarpa. The objective was to determine the difference between provenances and the variation in resin components and quality, as well as the effect of geographic and climatic factors. Resin from five provenances was collected from southern Mexico. The percentage of rosin, turpentine and water was obtained, as well as the acidity and saponification index. P. oocarpa resin had 80.94% rosin, 7.7% turpentine and 11.49% water. The saponification and acidity index was 125.47 and 117.49 mg KOH.g⁻¹, respectively. All variables showed differences (p ≤ 0.0001) between provenances. The provenance contributed between 6.44 and 11.71% to the total variance, the error contributed between 88.29 and 93.56%. Geographic and climatic variables only had an effect on the percentage of turpentine; the correlation was negative with altitude and longitude, but positive with temperature and precipitation. The results allow defining seed collection sites for resin plantations and orienting the selection for a P. oocarpa improvement program. Full article

Camellia seed oil (CSO), as a nutrient-rich edible oil, is widely used in foods, cosmetics, and other fields. In this work, the extraction, deacidification, decolorization, and deodorization processes of CSO were respectively optimized for meeting injectable oil standards. The results showed that the CSO extraction rate reached the highest level of 94% at optimized conditions (ultrasonic time, 31.2 min; reaction pH, 9.2; and reaction time, 3.5 h). The physicochemical indexes of CSO and 10 other vegetable oils were evaluated by the principal component analysis method, and the overall scores of vegetable oils were ranked as camellia seed oil > olive oil > rice oil > peanut oil > sesame oil > corn oil > soybean oil > sunflower oil > rapeseed oil > walnut oil > flaxseed oil. The physicochemical indicators of CSO were the most ideal among the 11 vegetable oils, which means that CSO is suitable as an injectable oil. Through the optimized processes of the deacidification, decolorization, and deodorization, the CSO acid value was reduced to 0.0515 mg KOH/g, the decolorization rate reached a maximum of 93.86%, and the OD₄₃₀ was 0.015, meeting the requirement (≤0.045 of OD₄₃₀) of injectable oil. After the deodorization process, these parameters of the refractive index, acid value, saponification value, iodine value, absorbance, unsaponifiable, moisture and volatiles, fatty acid composition, and heavy metal limits all met the pharmacopoeia standards of injectable oil in many countries and regions. The possibility of CSO as an injectable oil was first verified through refining-process optimization and nutritional index analysis, providing an important technical reference for the high-value utilization of vegetable oil. Full article

The present study is focused on the chemical and lipid composition of seed oil of the European ornamental and invasive wood plant Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae). Total lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, ash, and moisture in the seeds were determined. A high yield of glyceride oil (30.7%) was found, as well as a high content of fibers (29.6%) and proteins (18.7%). Physicochemical properties of the oil define it as semi-dry (129.4 g I₂/100 g Iodine value) with oxidative stability, refractive index, saponification value, and relative density similar to widely used oils with nutritional value and health benefits. The composition of the seed oil was determined chromatographically. Unsaturated fatty acids (95.3%) predominated in the seed oil, of which linoleic acid (48.6%) and oleic acid (44.8%) were the major ones. The main lipid-soluble bioactive components were β-sitosterol (72.6%), γ-tocopherol (74.6%), phosphatidylinositol (29.5%), and phosphatidic acids (25.7%). The proven in vitro DNA-protective ability of seed oil is reported for the first time. The seed oil exhibited a weak antiproliferative effect on HT-29 and PC3 tumor cell lines and showed no cytotoxicity on the BALB/c 3T3 cell line. In brief, the present study reveals that A. altissima seed oil can be used as a healthy food. Full article

The papaya plant (Carica papaya L.) is tree-like fruit plant cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics. The aim of this study was to compare the physicochemical properties, fatty acid, sterols, and triterpenic alcohols composition of Carica papaya L. seed oils grown in a typical geographical location and Carica papaya L. seed oils grown in an untypical geographical location in greenhouse conditions (Saratov Region, Russia). The oils were extracted from the seeds of Carica papaya L. fruits collected in Kenya, the Dominican Republic, Angola, Ghana, and Brazil, as well as from the seeds of fruit plants grown in a similar environment (Russian Federation, Saratov). Parameters such as the oil yield, refractive index, peroxide value, iodine value, saponification value, and acid value of the extracted Carica papaya L. seed oils were determined. The qualitative and quantitative chemical compositions of the seed oils were determined by a combination of mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The profiles as well as the content of fatty acids, sterols, triterpenic alcohols, and benzyl isothiocyanate were established. The saponifiable fraction of the oils is mainly represented by triglycerides (98.7–99.4%), while di-(0.4–1.1%) and monoglycerides (0.1–0.3%) are also present but in smaller amounts. The content of sterols and triterpene alcohols was (537.5–918.2) mg/100 g of oil (0.54–0.92%), and up to 75% of the fraction was represented by β-sitosterol (55.9–66.7%) and its saturated analogue-sitostanol (11.0–15.7%). The physicochemical properties and the fatty acid, sterol, and triterpenic alcohol composition of seed oils from Carica papaya L. fruits, cultivated in Russia, is in the quantitative range of other samples, which suggests that Carica papaya L. can be grown in Russia for obtaining the seed oil. Full article

Wet milling is a fractionation process widely used in the corn industry, which allows the separation of its main chemical components (starch, proteins, fiber and lipids) with high efficiency and purity compared to dry milling. The first stage of this process consists of maceration; after softening the grain, the actual milling is carried out, and the germ is separated by flotation because of its high lipid content. The chemical composition of pseudocereals is similar to that of cereals, hence their name, so they could be processed in the same way. In this way, the traditional corn wet milling process was adapted to quinoa. The objective of this work is to isolate the germ of red Bolivian Royal quinoa using wet milling, and evaluate its efficiency and physicochemical characteristics due to its large size and nutrient concentration. By cold pressing the red quinoa germ, crude oil was obtained and characterized in terms of: Acid Index, Iodine Index, Saponification Index, K Index, Refractive Index (20 °C) and fatty acid composition, determined by gas chromatography coupled to a mass detector (GC-MS). This profile was compared with the fatty acid profile of the solvent-extracted quinoa oil, and it was observed that there were no significant differences between the two oil samples. In addition, the sample obtained via cold pressing showed similar characteristics to corn oil, except for a higher Saponification Index and proportion of linolenic acid (omega-3). Full article

A microwave hot pressing machine (MHPM) was used to heat the colander to produce fixed oils from each of castor, sunflower, rapeseed, and moringa seed and compared them to those obtained using an ordinary electric hot pressing machine (EHPM). The physical properties, namely the moisture content of seed (MCs), the seed content of fixed oil (S_cfo), the yield of the main fixed oil (Y_mfo), the yield of recovered fixed oil (Y_rfo), extraction loss (EL), six Efficiency of fixed oil extraction (E_foe), specific gravity (SG_fo), refractive index (RI) as well as chemical properties, namely iodine number (IN), saponification value (SV), acid value (AV), and the yield of fatty acid (Y_fa) of the four oils extracted by the MHPM and EHPM were determined. Chemical constituents of the resultant oil were identified using GC/MS after saponification and methylation processes. The Ymfo and SV obtained using the MHPM were higher than those for the EHPM for all four fixed oils studied. On the other hand, each of the SG_fo, RI, IN, AV, and pH of the fixed oils did not alter statistically due to changing the heating tool from electric band heaters into a microwave beam. The qualities of the four fixed oils extracted by the MHPM were very encouraging as a pivot of the industrial fixed oil projects compared to the EHPM. The prominent fatty acid of the castor fixed oil was found to be ricinoleic acid, making up 76.41% and 71.99% contents of oils extracted using the MHPM and EHPM, respectively. In addition, the oleic acid was the prominent fatty acid in each of the fixed oils of sunflower, rapeseed, and moringa species, and its yield by using the MHPM was higher than that for the EHPM. The role of microwave irradiation in facilitating fixed oil extrusion from the biopolymeric structured organelles (lipid bodies) was protruded. Since it was confirmed by the present study that using microwave irradiation is simple, facile, more eco-friendly, cost-effective, retains parent quality of oils, and allows for the warming of bigger machines and spaces, we think it will make an industrial revolution in oil extraction field. Full article

Roasting is a key step for preparing sesame oil that leads to important changes in its organoleptic properties and quality. In this study, white sesame seeds were roasted for 20 min in an electric oven at different temperatures (120, 150, 180, 210, 250 and 300 °C). The oils extracted from unroasted and roasted seeds were compared for their chemical composition: fatty acids (including trans isomers), phytosterols, lignans (sesamin and sesamolin), tocopherols and total phenolic compounds, as well as their oxidative stability and antiradical capacity. There were no obvious differences in the oil densities, refractive indexes or iodine values, but the saponification values were affected by temperature. Relevant primary and secondary lipid oxidation were observed at T > 250 °C, resulting in a higher p-anisidine value and K232 as well as K268 values. Roasting improved oil yield (from 33.5 to 62.6%), increased its induction period (from 5.5 to 10.5 h) and enhanced the total phenolic content (from 152 to 194 mg/100 g) and antiradical activity of the extracted oil. Depending on roasting temperature, a gradual decline was recorded in total amounts of phytosterols (up to 17.4%), γ-tocopherol (up to 10.6%), sesamolin (maximum of 27.5%) and sesamin (maximum of 12.5%). All the investigated oils presented a low quantity in triglyceride polymers, clearly below the maximum tolerated quantity according to the European regulation. The optimal roasting temperature for obtaining high nutritional grade oil within the permissible values was 210 °C. The unsaponifiable components (including lignans and sterols) extracted from roasted seeds have been shown to be natural additives to fresh meatball products to extend shelf life. The results of this study may help to boost the nutritional content of plant-based diets by allowing for the use of roasted sesame seed oil and its components. Full article

A comparative study was carried out on the chemical, structural and thermal properties of candelilla wax from four wax-producing communities in Mexico, which was obtained by two extraction processes, the conventional one using sulfuric acid (SA) and an eco-friendly alternative process using citric acid (CA) as the extracting agent. The waxes were analyzed by basic chemistry (acidity, saponification, ester indexes, and others), color, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman micro-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and hardness and brittleness measurements. The waxes obtained by the environmentally friendly process showed differences in their physicochemical properties when compared to waxes from the conventional process. In addition, they showed some improvements, such as lighter shades and harder waxes, suggesting that the new environmentally friendly process is a viable option. Full article

Liquid Eversa was evaluated in hydrolysis of acylglycerols from soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD), as well as simultaneous esterification/transesterification of SODD with low-to-high free fatty acids (FFAs) content using ethanol as acyl acceptor. Hydrolysis of SODD at mild temperature (37 °C) and without pH control (water:SODD mass ratio of 4:1) increased its FFAs content from 17.2 wt.% to 72.5 wt.% after 48 h reaction. A cold saponification of SODD allowed a saponification phase (SODD-SP) to be recovered with 93 wt.% saponification index and 2.25 wt.% FFAs content, which was used to find the experimental conditions for simultaneous esterification/transesterification reactions by experimental design. Temperature of 35 °C, enzyme concentration of 8.36 wt.%, and molar ratio of 3.64:1 (ethanol:SODD-SP) were found as the best conditions for fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) production from SODD-SP (86.56 wt.% ester yield after 23 h reaction). Under the same reaction conditions, crude SODD (17.2 wt.% FFAs) and hydrolyzed SODD (72.5 wt.% FFAs) yielded products containing around 80 wt.% FAEEs. Caustic treatment could increase the ester content to around 90 wt.% and reduce the FFAs content to less than 1 wt.%. Our results show the good performance of liquid Eversa in aqueous (hydrolysis reactions) and organic (esterification/transesterification reactions) media. Full article

The study reports the alternative use of non-edible fermented olives for the production of high-quality natural soaps with a fast production process, low environmental impact, and without preliminary treatments for the raw material. Damaged olives, not used as food, were fermented naturally and the oil was extracted by mechanical extraction. The product obtained was not for human consumption due to its high acidity, but it had a low content of peroxides. The non-edible olive oil obtained and an extra virgin olive oil, produced from the same olive cultivar, were subjected to saponification with sodium hydroxide. The soaps were produced with complete (0% of non-neutralized fatty acids) and incomplete (5% of non-neutralized fatty acids) saponification; the amount of sodium hydroxide to be used was determined with the saponification index. The soaps were aged for six months by monitoring pH, color, and behavior in an aqueous solution. The results show that the olives’ fermentation improves and speeds up the soap production and maturation process since the oil obtained from fermented non-edible olives is more suitable for the saponification process than the oil obtained from non-fermented edible olives. Non-edible fermented olives can be used for obtaining natural and high-quality soaps, reusing drupes classified as food waste. Full article

The characteristics of commercially available refined and bodied linseed and tung oils, used as binders in the production of armour paints after historic recipes, are explored. Employed as anticorrosive paints mainly from the 1920s to 1960s, armour paints are greener alternatives that can be used for protection in industrial heritage conservation. Using a multi-analytical approach, chemical and physical properties of the fresh oils and solid films before and after accelerated ageing (ISO 16474-2:2013) were investigated to better understand which features are beneficial for the technical function of armour paints. Tests included measurements of density, the refractive index, insoluble impurities, alkaline impurities, the water content, the iodine value, the saponification value, the free fatty acid concentration, the acid value, the peroxide value and colour (Lovibond) and cold tests. The characterisation of the fresh oils using molecular analysis with FTIR and GC-MS revealed the complexity of the commercial formulations, for which additions of semi- and non-drying oils were detected. The results show that organic paint binders follow complex chemical reactions (such as oxidation and decrease of unsaturation being variable or swelling following water-immersion tests), with implications for their suitability for use in protection. Full article

The dielectric properties of six refined edible oils with different fatty-acid compositions were determined for oils incubated at 180 °C up to 40 h. The oil degradation was evaluated by the dielectric dispersion and dielectric loss in the frequency range from 40 Hz to 2 MHz at 25 °C, refractive index, density, saponification number, and specific absorption coefficient at 232 and 268 nm. The dependence of the dielectric properties on frequency has been evaluated with Corach, Cole–Cole, and the universal power law models, giving the novel strategies for the interpretation of the dielectric spectra of thermally treated oils. The derived parameters—the dielectric constant, the electrical conductivity, the relaxation time τ and the exponents α, p, and n—are discussed with respect to the increased oxidation evidenced by specific absorption coefficients and polar products, as measured by the dielectric constant of the thermally treated oils. The specific refraction, specific polarization, orientation polarization, and dipole moment were determined using Lorenz–Lorentz, Debye and Onsager relationship. All above parameters obtained increased during the thermal treatment, except specific refraction, the electrical conductivity and the relaxation time. The dielectric constant-macroscopic parameter was compared with microscopic parameter polarization and dipole moment; the linear dependence was found to be $R^2=0.971$ . Full article