Energy sources seed oils

In Europe, vegetable-oil-based fuels are mainly produced from rapeseed. In the USA, vegetable-oil-based fuels are mainly derived from soybeans. Another feedstock used in Europe and North America is sunflower seed. Most of the vegetable oil that is used as energy source for the generation of transportation fuel is converted to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), often called biodiesel . 

New sources of oil are continually being suggested for biodiesel production. Rubber seed Hevea brasiliensis) produces unsaturated oil that has little value and is often not recovered but could be effectively used to produce biodiesel (52). Jatropha curcus, a bushy tree that grows quickly and produces a fruit with a high-oil seed, has been touted as an energy plant for tropical climates (53). 

Biomass is derived from piant materiais and animai waste, it can be used to generate heat and to produce fuei for transportation. The biomass materiai may be straw and crop residues, crops grown speciaiiy for energy production, or rape seed oil and waste from a range of sources including food production. The nature of the fuel will determine the way that energy can best be recovered from it. 

The greatest potential for successful modification of plant oils and their fatty acid composition lies in some definite understanding of the associated biochemical events, regulatory processes and enzyme systems. Fats and oils serve as an energy source for plant growth at the time of seed... 

The first-generation biofuels can be identified as ethanol, which was produced via the alcoholic fermentation of cereals, and hio-oil or biodiesel, which was extracted from seeds such as sunflower, rapeseed, or palm. The use of cereals and sunflowers was rejected by public opinion and some scientific environments, because their use for energy production conflicted with their use as foodstuffs. In fact, the diversion of cereals to the production of ethanol for transport has led to a rise in the price of flour and derived goods, especially in Mexico. The same situation has arisen for some bio-oils, such that the source was shifted to palm-oil which, essentially, is produced in Asian countries such as Malaysia. 

Whole soybeans contain not only high-quality protein (38 2%), but also a rich source of energy as a result of the oil they contain (18-22%). They have the potential of supplying major amounts of both energy and protein to all types of livestock and poultry feed. Collective terms that are being used to describe processed soybeans range from full-fat soybeans, heat-processed soybean seeds, heat-treated soybeans, to simply whole soybeans. More specific references are seldom used to correctly identify the processing method. 

The vernacular name for Adansonia digitata, baobab, means fruit with many seeds (25) (Figure 2). Murray et al. (31) reported that baobab seed flour is an important source of energy and protein. The baobab seed contains appreciable quantities of some nutrients like crade protein (28.4%), digestible carbohydrates (24.10%), and oil (29.7%) all expressed on a dry weight basis (Addy and Eka, 1984, cited in (32)). Besides, baobab seeds have high levels of lysine, thiamin, calcium, and iron (FAO, 1988, cited in (32)). Baobab seed can be classified as both protein- and oil-rich. It is also a very rich source of energy and has a relatively low fat value (14). 

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