Oil from Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. 1772 as possible feedstock for biodiesel production

The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of using Koelreuteria paniculata oil as feedstock in the biodiesel production. This is an invasive type of ornamental plant often found in urban and peri-urban greenery in several US states, Europe and Serbia. The seed of this plant was used for mechanical and solvent extraction. Application of response surface methodology (RSM) enabled the assessment of solvent extraction process parameters, and their optimal values were determined (solvent to cake ratio 18.9 mL·g−1, extraction time 79.6 min, temperature 70 °C and particulate size 0.5 mm). A well-balanced ratio of fatty acids found in K. paniculata oil makes this feedstock adequate for biodiesel production. Methyl esters produced from K. paniculata oil have high oxidative stability (11.3 h, EN 14112), so it is potentially usable as an additive for improvement of fatty acid methyl ester characteristics regarding their low oxidative stability.