This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Department of Technological Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Priština - Kosovska Mitrovica , Mitrovica , Kosovo
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops , Novi Sad , Serbia
Department of Technological Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Priština - Kosovska Mitrovica , Mitrovica , Kosovo
Department of Technological Engineering, Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Priština - Kosovska Mitrovica , Mitrovica , Kosovo
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops , Novi Sad , Serbia
Innovation Center of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, SASA Branch of Niš , Belgrade , Serbia
Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is cultivated as a non-edible oilseed crop across tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate regions, often in areas with marginal soils. The castor oil recovery process usually involves primary seed preparation, oil recovery, and refining, with variations in the order of operations. The recovery methods include conventional methods, such as mechanical pressing, solvent extraction, or combining both methods, and novel methods, such as aqueous enzymatic, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and supercritical CO2 extraction. The present paper compares conventional and novel castor oil recovery methods regarding oil yield and quality (composition and properties). Ultrasound-assisted extraction provided about 70% in 9 min, while conventional method yielded 66% in 15 min. The microwave-assisted extraction gave higher oil yield for a shorter time (37%/20 min) compared to the conventional method (17.4%/150 min), while supercritical CO2 extraction showed no positive effect on yield. The hybrid ultrasound-microwave-assisted extraction provided the highest oil yield (98.37%/30 min). Aqueous enzymatic extraction provided higher oil yields (80%/4h) compared to conventional (56.6%/8h). Novel techniques present more economically viable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly alternatives for oil extraction, mitigating the drawbacks and excessive energy consumption associated with conventional methods.
Castor (Ricinus communis L.), castor oil yield, recovery methods, sustainable development, castor plant use
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
