Proximate composition and analysis of bio-oil from Prosopis Africana seeds

This study investigated the extraction and characterization of bio-oil from Prosopis Africana seeds using the Soxhlet extraction method with diethyl-ether as solvent. The oil yield, proximate analysis, and GC-MS composition were evaluated. The extraction yielded 6.8% oil. Proximate analysis revealed moisture (6.30 ± 0.4%), ash (11.55 ± 0.2%), volatile matter (62.85 ± 0.7%), fixed carbon (19.30 ± 10.4%), carbohydrate (44.29 ± 0.3%), hydrogen (9.01 ± 0.3%), protein (2.37 ± 0.1%), oxygen (43.13 ± 0.2%), sulphur (1.20 ± 0.3%), and energy content (40.3 MJkg⁻¹). GC-MS analysis identified 21 compounds, dominated by tridecane (16.30%) and 3-tetradecene (10.50%), while methyl-octadecenoate (0.07%) was least abundant. The composition demonstrates potential for industrial, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and energy applications, though additional safety and optimization studies are necessary.