210
1 Introduction
In today’s world, increasing the effects of greenhouse gases, quick industrial development, global economic growth, environmental contamination, increased population, and natural resources loss are concern to problems which affects the
environment. In addition to eliminating the existing harms caused by environmental
degradation, people are looking for green technologies that creates fresh and good
quality, safety, clean and sustainable energy resources for the better future. So this
motivates researchers to quest for innovative approaches to incorporate the use of
sustainable energy with the adequate technology for the production of products
needed by different industries [1]. Plant oils are the oils derived from plant resources
like castor oil, olive oil, soybean oil, and linseed oil [2] and getting more attention
since they found an appropriate way of producing alternative options for the application in increasing energy demand and environmental awareness. Castor oil shows
the properties in the development of most technologies that are cost-effective renewable resources and numerous uses as sustainable resources for the chemical based
industries [3]. Castor oil derivatives serve as a raw material to produce solvents,
lubricants, paints, polymers, and jet fuels in the chemical industry.
2 Castor Oil Background
Castor plants (Ricinus communis) are part of the large spurge family (Euphorbiaceae),
which cultivate naturally under different climatic conditions [4]. Castor oil plant
initially belonging to India and Africa and then imported from India to China around
1400 years ago [5]. Castor seed contains 50% of oil, which can be easily extracted,
and transformed into different derivatives which can be used in the development of
new generation technologies for various chemical industry such as drugs, personal
care products, perfumes, lubricants and biofuels [1]. Castor oil with easy to grow
properly, across the tropical, subtropics and temperate zones, and castor oil are biodegradability, low costs, renewable, and eco-friendly with all this qualities the
demand castor oil is continuously increased as an alternative option [4]. Castor oil
and its derivatives used as raw material more than 700 industries and due to the
unique chemical structure, it continued to increase as plant oil resource.
Castor oil is getting more significance attraction because of its unique physicochemical characteristic, particularly in comparison with the most conventional edible and non-edible oils due to the presence of ricinoleic acid. The high amount of
ricinoleic acid content (85–90%) in castor oil which is a multipurpose compound
and this acid has three functional groups. This ricinoleic acid has a carboxylic acid,
a double bond, and secondary alcohol or hydroxyl group that give a wide range of
opportunities to convert or modify castor oil in several useful derivatives products
based on the different applications anticipated (Fig. 1) [4]. The carboxylic group
can contribute to a wide variety of esterified products, while hydrogenation,
S. Dhanuskar et al.
1 Introduction
In today’s world, increasing the effects of greenhouse gases, quick industrial development, global economic growth, environmental contamination, increased population, and natural resources loss are concern to problems which affects the
environment. In addition to eliminating the existing harms caused by environmental
degradation, people are looking for green technologies that creates fresh and good
quality, safety, clean and sustainable energy resources for the better future. So this
motivates researchers to quest for innovative approaches to incorporate the use of
sustainable energy with the adequate technology for the production of products
needed by different industries [1]. Plant oils are the oils derived from plant resources
like castor oil, olive oil, soybean oil, and linseed oil [2] and getting more attention
since they found an appropriate way of producing alternative options for the application in increasing energy demand and environmental awareness. Castor oil shows
the properties in the development of most technologies that are cost-effective renewable resources and numerous uses as sustainable resources for the chemical based
industries [3]. Castor oil derivatives serve as a raw material to produce solvents,
lubricants, paints, polymers, and jet fuels in the chemical industry.
2 Castor Oil Background
Castor plants (Ricinus communis) are part of the large spurge family (Euphorbiaceae),
which cultivate naturally under different climatic conditions [4]. Castor oil plant
initially belonging to India and Africa and then imported from India to China around
1400 years ago [5]. Castor seed contains 50% of oil, which can be easily extracted,
and transformed into different derivatives which can be used in the development of
new generation technologies for various chemical industry such as drugs, personal
care products, perfumes, lubricants and biofuels [1]. Castor oil with easy to grow
properly, across the tropical, subtropics and temperate zones, and castor oil are biodegradability, low costs, renewable, and eco-friendly with all this qualities the
demand castor oil is continuously increased as an alternative option [4]. Castor oil
and its derivatives used as raw material more than 700 industries and due to the
unique chemical structure, it continued to increase as plant oil resource.
Castor oil is getting more significance attraction because of its unique physicochemical characteristic, particularly in comparison with the most conventional edible and non-edible oils due to the presence of ricinoleic acid. The high amount of
ricinoleic acid content (85–90%) in castor oil which is a multipurpose compound
and this acid has three functional groups. This ricinoleic acid has a carboxylic acid,
a double bond, and secondary alcohol or hydroxyl group that give a wide range of
opportunities to convert or modify castor oil in several useful derivatives products
based on the different applications anticipated (Fig. 1) [4]. The carboxylic group
can contribute to a wide variety of esterified products, while hydrogenation,
S. Dhanuskar et al.