Rubber seed oil is oil extracted from the seeds of rubber trees. In the latex manufacturing process, rubber seeds are not historically collected and commercialized. Recent analysis shows that rubber seed oil contained the following fatty acids:Shankaransh Srivastava,"Effects of Blends of Rubber Seed Oil on Engine performance and Emissions"
Palmitic (C16:0) - 0.2% Stearic (C18:0) - 8.7% Oleic (C18:1) - 24.6% Linoleic (C18:2) - 39.6% Linolenic (C18:3) - 16.3%
In India and other rubber manufacturing areas rubber seeds are used to feed livestock. In India in the Virudhunagar district a company Index International extracts oil from rubber seeds and uses the rubber seed cake for cattle feed. Bun Tean, eo Sath, Pok Samkol and J Ly, "Utilization by pigs of diets containing Cambodian rubber seed meal"
Although rubber seed is rich in nutrients it also contains cyanogenic glycosides which will release prussic acid in the presence of enzymes or in slightly acidic conditions.Gv Mallika, ER Jansz and Nirmala M Pieris, 1991, "Cyanogenic Glucosides and Glucosidases of Rubber Seed Kernel" J. Natn Sci Coun. Sri Lanka Oil from the rubber seed could also be of commercial value. Hitherto, rubber seed has largely been allowed to waste with very little use for raising root stock seedlings for propagation purposes.Uzu, F. O.; Ihenyen, G. A.; Chukwuma, F. and Imoebe, S. O. (1985). Processing, analysis and utilization of rubber seed oil and cake. Paper presented at the National Conference on Industrial utilization of Natural rubber seed, latex and wood. Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria, Benin City, 22nd-24th Jan. 7 pp.Thomas, V.; Mercykutty, V. C. and Saraswathyamma, C. K. (1998). Rubber seed: Its biological and industrial applications. Planter (Malaysia). 74 (869): 437 - 443. The useful properties of the rubber seed oil make it similar to well-known linseed and soybean oil.Anon, (1919). Para rubber seed as a source of oil and feeding cake. Bulletin of Imperial Institute. 17: 543-571.Aigbodion, A. I. (1994). Effect of storage of seeds on quality of rubber seed oil. India Journal of Natural Rubber. 92: 141-143. Rubber seed oil also could be used for the paint industry as a semidrying oil,Anon, (1950). Drying oil for the paint industry. Board of Trade Journal. 150: 771- 773. in the manufacture of soap,Vimal, P.O. (1981). The use of rubber seed. Planter Chronicle (India). 76(7): 333-336. for the production of linoleum and alkyd resin;Uzu, F. O.; Ihenyen, G. A.; Chukwuma, F. and Imoebe, S. O. (1985). Processing, analysis and utilization of rubber seed oil and cake. Paper presented at the National Conference on Industrial utilization of Natural rubber seed, latex and wood. Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria, Benin City, 22nd-24th Jan. 7 pp. in medicine as antimalaria oil;Thomas, V.; Mercykutty, V. C. and Saraswathyamma, C. K. (1998). Rubber seed: Its biological and industrial applications. Planter (Malaysia). 74 (869): 437 - 443. and in engineering as core binder for factice preparation. The cake left after oil extraction is used in fertilizer preparation and as feed for cattle and poultry.
The potential of rubber wood as a source of timber is recognized in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with an increasing volume of sawn rubber wood used for furniture manufacturing and a variety of other applications.Green, L. W. and Leaper, J. M. F. (1933). Pure rubber seed oil as a substitute for Linseed oil in founding core binders. Chemical Abstract. 27 pp.http://www.irrdb.com-30/1/2013
See also Biofuels
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