Abstract: Mineral and chemo-physical compositions of oil from sandbox seed were evaluated to establish their quality and utility as a base material for domestic and industrial applications. Mineral composition of the oil was obtained using atomic absorption spectroscopy while the fatty acid composition of the oil was analyzed using gas chromatography and flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Analyses of the mineral composition revealed that the oil is very rich in magnesium. The fatty acid composition of the oil revealed that oleic acid and stearic acid are the most abundant unsaturated and saturated fatty acids respectively. The moisture content was 0.39 %, density was 0.90 g/cm3, specific gravity was 0.93, saponification value was 210.00 mgKOH/g, iodine value was 177.66 gI2/100g, acid value was 1.68 mgKOH/g, peroxide value was 0.87 mg/100g, fatty acid value was 8.42 mgKOH/g, viscosity at 28oC was 49.20 cSt, cloud point was 11oC, pour point was -3oC, flash point was 249oC while fire point was 252oC. The oil has a high saponification and iodine values with low acid and peroxide values. These show that the oil has great potential as promising oil and it will be a good source for a variety of industrial applications.

Keywords: Chemo-physical, Mineral, Non-edible, Oil, Sandbox, Underutilized

Pages: 1-9

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