Biodiesel Production from Rapeseed Oil
Ioana Stanciu *
Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, 4-12 Elisabeta Blvd, 030018, Bucharest, Romania.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Rapeseed oil technology refers to the process of extracting and refining oil from rapeseed, a plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family. It is cultivated in many parts of the world due to its high content of vegetable oils. Rapeseed oil is valued for its nutritional profile, containing a high amount of unsaturated fatty acids, especially omega-3 and omega-6. These are the main steps in the technology of obtaining rapeseed oil: harvesting and preparation, washing and drying rapeseed, grinding or crushing the seeds, pressing the oil (cold or hot pressing), solvent extraction (optional), refining the oil and packaging and storage. Rapeseed oil technology is a well-established process which allows for the production of a versatile and healthy product, used not only in food but also in various industrial and cosmetic applications.
Keywords: Oil, rapeseed, technology, extraction