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AReview of Thermo-chemical Energy Conversion Process of Non-edible Seed Cakes
9
Figure 1 Composition of Jatropha and Pongamia fruit (Abreu,
2009; Subbarao, 2011)
Utilization of seed cake
The Jatropha seed cakes could not be utilized as
animal/cattle feed as the shells of the seed contained
phorbol esters and antinutrients such as trypsin
inhibitor, lectin and phytate (Harinder et al., 2008) in
case of pongaima deoiled cake number of toxic and
unpalatable components, including the furanoflavones
karanjin, pongamol, and other polyphenolic compounds
were present (Mandal et al., 1985).
To utilize as a cattle feed the seed cakes needed to be
detoxified by combination of heat treatment and
solvent extraction processes which was not an
economically viable option for commercial utilization
(Mike, 2004).
Seed cake as a fertilizer
The conventional soil enrichment was one of the
choices for utilization of seed cake because of high
nitrogen content makes a valuable contribution
nutrient requirement (Reyadh, 1997). Table 2
presented nutrient content of jatropha cake and
pongaima cake. After composting the seed cake it
could be used as fertilizer 1.0 kg of seed cake was
equivalent to 0.15 kg of N:P:K (40:20:10) chemical
fertilizer (Openshaw, 2000). The presence of oil at
high level in the seed cake had negative effects with
reduced the permeability of the soil (Jongh and
Eric, 2010).
Table 2 Nutrient content of the de-oiled cake as a fertilizer
S.N.
Seed cake
N%
P%
K%
Source
1
Jatropha
4.4~6.5
2.1~3.0
0.6~0.7
Achten et al., 2008
6.0
2.8
0.9
Del Greco and Rademaker, 1998
3.0~4.5
0.65~1.2
0.8~1.4
Patolia, 2007
2
Pongamia
4.0
1.0
1.0
Meshram, 2010
5.5
1.0
1.0
Ram et al., 2006
4.0
0.9
1.3
Raja et al., 2011
Seed cake as a substrate for biogas generation
The self decomposition of seed cake in the open
atmosphere by the action of various micro organisms
generated the gases CH
4
, N
2
O, H
2
S, NH
3
and CO
2
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (Anonymous,
2012). The approach of using of non edible cakes as
“Biomass” resources instead of disposing as “waste”
made possible as to meet energy and economical
benefits and also environmental benefits. The
presence of carbohydrates and proteins subjected the
non edible seed cake to anaerobic digestion, produced
high calorific value of biogas (38 MJ/Nm3) and
notably reduced gaseous emissions (CH
4
, VOCs, H
2
S)
(Anonymous, 2012). Table 3 provided Biogas
production potentiality of non edible seed cake.
The biogas generated from the non-edible seed cakes
contained composition of methane 70% and remainder
as carbon dioxide which was higher than the gas
acquired from the cow dung based biogas plants
Jouranal of Energy Bioscience