Pongamia oil

Cultivation

Millettia pinnata is native to South and Southeast Asia . Known in various languages ​​as Indian beech, Pongam, Karanja, Honge, Kanuga, and Naktamala, it is now grown all over the world. Typically the plant starts yielding pods from the fifth year on the assures increasing the year until it stabilizes around the tenth year. Seeds are usually harvested in the spring, each seed weighing from 1.1 grams (0.039 oz) to 1.8 grams (0.063 oz). The yield per tree can range from about 10 kilograms (22 lb.) to more than 50 kilograms (110 lb.) depending on conditions, with an average of 1500-1700 seeds per kilogram. Historically the pods are removed by the trees by beating the branches with sticks and decorticatedusing mallets or stones. Research is active in mechanical harvesting methods.

The basic nutritional components of Millettia pinnata seeds may vary according to the following ^[2]

Component	percentage
Oil	27% – 39%
Protein	17% – 37%
Starch	6% – 7%
Crude fiber	5% – 7%
Moisture	15% – 20%
Ash	2% – 3%

Description

Pongamia oil is extracted by the expeller pressing , cold pressing, or solvent extraction . The oil is yellowish-orange to brown in color. It is toxic and will induce nausea and vomiting if eaten, but it is used in many traditional remedies. ^{[ citation needed ]} It has a high content of triglycerides , and its disagreeable taste and odor are caused by bitter flavonoid constituents including karanjin , pongamol , tannin and karanjachromene . ^[2]

Millettia pinnata has a number of different types. ^[3] This combination with variances in soil can change the specific composition of Pongamia oil. Typically Pongamia is composed of the following fatty acids : ^[2] [4]

Fatty acid	Nomenclature	percentage
palmitic	C16: 0	3.7% – 7.9%
stearic	C18: 0	2.4% – 8.9%
Oleic	C18: 1	44.5% – 71.3%
Linoleic	C18: 2	10.8% – 18.3%
linolenic	C18: 3	2.6%
Arachidic	C20: 0	2.2% – 4.7%
Eicosenoic	C20: 1	9.5% – 12.4%
Behenic	C22: 0	4.2% – 5.3%
Lignoceric	C24: 0	1.1% – 3.5%

The physical properties of crude Pongamia oil are as follows: ^[4]

Property	Unit	Value
Acid value	mg KOH / g	4.0 – 12
Calorific value	kcal / kg	8742
Cetane number		42
Density	g / cm 3	0924
Iodine value	g / 100 g	86.5 – 87
Saponification value	mg KOH / g	184 – 187
Specific gravity		0925
Unsaponifiable matter	% w / w	2.6 – 2.9
Viscosity	mm 2 / sec	40.2
Boiling point	° C	316
Cloud point	° C	3.5
Fire Point	° C	230
Flash point	° C	225
For point	° C	-3.0

Uses

Traditional

It has been used as a lamp , in leather tanning , in soap making, and as a lubricant for thousands of years. Its toxicity, and its color, bitters taste, and disagreeable odor, keep it from being used in cooking, and ^[1]

There is also research indicating that the oil can be used as a natural insecticide . ^[5]

It also used as a fish poison, as the metabolites karanjin and pongamol are both toxic to fish. ^[6] [7]

Biodiesel

Many studies have been done to convert Pongamia oil into biodiesel . ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]} The following table shows the physical properties of methyl esters of Pongamia oil versus ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 biodiesel standards: ^[4]

Property	Unit	Methyl esters	ASTM D6751	EN 14214
Acid value	mg KOH / g	0.46 – 0.5	<0.8	<0.5
Calorific value	kcal / kg	3700
Cetane Number		41.7 – 56	> 45	> 51
Density at 15 ° C	g / cm 3	0.86 – 0.88	0.87 – 0.89	0.86 – 0.90
Viscosity at 40 ° C	mm 2 / s	4.77	1.9 – 6.0	3.5 – 5.0
Iodine value	g / 100 g	86.5 – 91		<120
Oxidation Stability at 110 ° C	h	2.24		> 6
Saponification value	mg KOH / g	184 – 187
Unsaponifiable matter	% w / w	2.6 – 2.9
Boiling point	° C	316
Cloud point	° C	19		0 / -15 †
Fire Point	° C	230
Flash point	° C	174	> 130	> 101
For point	° C	15
† This is not a property of the standard EN 14214; it is country specific standard for summer / winter seasons.

The comparison of the methyl esters of Pongamia oil to the standard ASTM D6751 for biodiesel fuels shows that processed Pongamia oil is within the standards. Against the European EN 14214 standards, Pongamia does not meet the stability standard; Oxidation stability at least 6 hours at 110 ° C, but the stability of processed Pongamia oil is only 2.24 hours. ^[4] Research has shown that jatropha or pongamia oil can be mixed with palm oil to achieve an improved low-temperature viscosity than pure palm oil and higher oxidation stability than pure jatropha gold pongamia oil. ^[12]In addition, the methyl esters of Pongamia have a cloud point of 19 ° C, which is outside some specific country standards, and has a point of 15 ° C both of which would be problematic in lower temperature climates. ^[4]

See also

• Biofuel
• Energy policy of India
• Jatropha oil
• Renewable energy

References