Jatropha curcas produces seeds that have up to 37% oil content. This oil is extracted by either solvent extraction or screw press. After extraction, the Jatropha seed cake has been used as manure on the farms. The purpose of the project was to use the Jatropha cake to produce ethanol through anaerobic fermentation in the presence of yeast. The contents of fermentation were subjected to distillation at 800C in a water-cooled distillation column. The distillate was collected and compared with the commercial ethanol using the iodine test.

Ethanol was successfully produced from the Jatropha cake through yeast fermentation and separation by distillation. The ethanol test for the prepared samples compared well with the commercially available ethanol. The table below shows the process involved.

More research should be carried out using other types of microbes like Zymomonas mobilis, a bacterium that is notable for its bio-ethanol producing capabilities, which surpass yeast in some aspects. 

Source: Research Unit, Kimminic Corporation, Dr. R. Kahama