Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim seed kernel oil: The optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction and evaluation of its potential as a novel biodiesel feedstock

As a promising source of diesel, non-edible oil derived from phytomass is an attractive option for biodiesel production and has attracted more and more attentions due to its numerous advantages. Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim seed is one such promising, un-explored and un-edible oil feedstock for biodiesel, which stores high content of oil. To evaluate the possibility of T. kirilowii seeds kernel oil (TKSO) as feedstock of biodiesel, the optimum conditions of ultrasonic-assisted extraction TKSO and physicochemical properties of TKSO and TKSO biodiesel were investigated. The results exhibited that under optimum extraction conditions, TKSO yield (51.62%) was closed to the oil content of T.kirilowii seeds kernel (54.23%). TKSO mainly contained six types of fatty acids, including two saturated fatty acids (12.17%) and four unsaturated fatty acids (87.83%). The physicochemical properties of TKSO biodiesel including cold filter plugging point, pour point, flash point, calorific value, sulphur content and kinematic viscosity were in agreement with biodiesel standards (GB/T 25199-2017 and ASTM standard). Therefore, ultrasonic-assisted extraction was an effective method for TKSO, which as an alternate green resource had the potential application in biodiesel production. This research provided a basis for selecting suitable non-edible oil extraction methods and non-edible oil feedstocks for biodiesel production. [Display omitted] •Ultrasound extraction was suitable for Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim seed oil (TKSO).•Optimized extraction conditions were obtained using response surface design.•KSO was characterized with the help of FT-IR and GC-MS.•Physicochemical properties of TKSO biodiesel were studied.•TKSO could be a better substitute for existing fossil fuels.