Crude oil and bioproducts of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) plants established naturally on metal mine tailings

• Published in: International journal of environmental science and technology (Tehran) Vol. 12; no. 7; pp. 2263 - 2272
• Main Authors: González-Chávez, M. C. A., Ruíz Olivares, A., Carrillo-González, R., Ríos Leal, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Science and Engineering; Original Paper; Soil Science & Conservation; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Castor bean; Heavy metals; Energy plantations; Bioenergy crop; Polluted soils revalue
• ISSN: 1735-1472; 1735-2630
• DOI: 10.1007/s13762-014-0622-z

Previous research suggested that Ricinus communis may be used for soil remediation and oil production. However, the quality of the oil and bioproducts under polluted conditions need to be tested to be assured of their potential use in biofuel production with environmentally friendly bioproducts (cake, seed coats and biomass). Oil characteristics and metal concentrations in oil, cake (de-oiled seeds) and seed coats, as well as the shoot carbon content were analyzed. The oil contents of palmitic and oleic acids from plants growing in polluted mine tailings were comparable to those for plants grown under non-polluted conditions. Linoleic acid content was significantly higher in oil of plants from mine tailings, which enriches the fuel properties. Cadmium and lead were mainly concentrated in the seed coat, whereas copper in the cake. Castor bean oil had low concentrations of cadmium, lead, zinc, nickel, manganese and copper-free. Cake and seed coats can be useful for soil fertilization applications since the metal concentrations are below safety regulations. The biomass carbon was around 43 %, which suggests it may be used for biogas production. These properties make castor bean valuable for its oil and bioproducts even when growing at metal-polluted sites. However, agronomic optimization is needed in order to produce higher plant productivity.