CASTOR OIL

 Castor oil is derived form the bean of the castor  plant, Ricinus  Communis  L., of the family Eurphorbiaceae.  The  castor plant   occurs  in  practically  all  tropical  and   subtropical countries,  either wild or cultivated. It is also found widly  as both an ornamental and cultivated plant in temperate zones where, because it is frost sensitive, it is grown annually from seed. It is  a highly heterogeneous species, with wide variations  in  the size, form, and color of the plant, as well as the size and color of  the  seed,  and  the dehiscence of  the  capsules.  There is relatively little variation in the oil content of fully  matured seeds  and in the chemical composition of the oil. The seeds are toxic and the ingestion of even on seed can be fatal to humans.

The seeds of the castor plant are produced in racemes, or clusters of capsules.  The capsules are usually spiny and each contains three seeds.  The hulls surrounding the seeds constitute roughly one thrid of the weight of the mature capsule.  The seeds are mottled to varying extents, most often with shades of dark brown overlaying, shades of light brown.  Seed size of commercial varieties varies from 250 to 1680 per kilogram.   Although laoratory  yield  of  oil from entire  (undecorticated)  seed  of commercial  varieties  averages about 49%, the factory  yield  is usually about 45%.

Castor oil is also known as Ricinus Oil,  oil  of  Palma Christi, tangatangan oil, and Neoloid. Typical of most fats, the oil is a triglyceride of fatty acids. What is unique is that  the fat contains 87%-90% ricinoleic  acid,  cis-12- hydroxyoctadec-9- enoic acid, CH3(CH2)5CH(OH)CH2CH==CH(CH2)7COOH, a rare source  of an eighteen carbon hydroxylated fatty acid with one double  bond. Castor  oil, sometimes described as a triglyceide  of  ricinoleic acid,  is  one  of the few naturally  occurring  glycerides  that approaches being a pure compound.

The   oil  is  pale  yellow  and  viscous,  with  a   slight characterisitc   odor,  and  nearly  tasteless   but   familiarly unpleasant  through its minor use as a purgative. The  industrial uses of castor oil are extensive.

Castor oil is used as a raw material in a number of chemical and  pharmaceutical  industries.   It has a medical  value  as  a purgative.  So it is a very important vegetable oil.  In chemical industry it is used in the manufacture of soaps.  Castor oil  is extracted  from castor oil seeds which are obtained from a  plant which  grows as a wild plant but its regular plantation has  been started  in  India.   Castor oil has white tingue and it has a viscosity  approximately that of the sirson oil.  The plantation is grown and cultivated as sirson oil and some other seeds.  When the plant gets matured it develops big size buddings of the size about 1″ to 2″ in diameter.  This shell or buddings consists of castor oil seeds, some pulp and other carbonaceous  matter  etc.  The  crop is cut and the shells containing castor oil  seeds  are collected.  It is allowed to dry for few days so that  the  seeds may be separated from the shell easily with the help of a  simple shredder.

Caster seed  is very hard and does not  require  much  care during storage.  No insect or disease attacks the seed.  The oil content does not get either reduced or affected even 3 years of storage.   Usually castor seed is not required to be stored  in warehouses  area  long  periods.   Being a cash  crop,  it   is immediately crushed locally and the oil exported.  In warehouses, castor-seed is stored in  gunny (jute) bags.

Sometimes  if  the  bags get wet due  to  high  humidity  or leakage of rain-water, the seeds become slightly mouldy but  this does not reduce the oil content or the viability.

The odour of castor oil is not appreciable and hence before using  in  soap industry or many industry its  deodourization  is necessary.  For saponification 18.5% caustic potash is required.  It  is easily saponified and the soap prepared from this  oil  is soft and easily soluble in water.  Other oils are mixed with this oil for soap making industry for economic reasons.

1.   INTODUCTION
2.   PROPERTIES
3.   USES OF CASTOR OIL
4.   B.I.S. SPECIFICATIONS
5.   MARKET SURVEY
6.   PRESENT MANUFACTURERS OF CASTOR OIL
7.   DEALERS OF CASTOR OIL
8.   RAW MATERIAL MAJOR AREAS OF PRODUCTION OF CASTOR
9.   QUALITIES OF CASTOR SEED
10.  PROCESSING OF CASTOR
11.  CASTOR CAKE
12.  USES
13.  MANUFACTURING DIAGRAM
14.  PLANT LAYOUT
15.  SUPPLIERS OF PLANT AND MACHINERY
16.  SUPPLIERS OF RAW MATERIALS

APPENDIX – A :

1.      COST OF PLANT ECONOMICS
2.      LAND & BUILDING
3.      PLANT AND MACHINERY
4.      FIXED CAPITAL INVESTMENT
5.      RAW MATERIAL
6.      SALARY AND WAGES
7.      UTILITIES AND OVERHEADS
8.      TOTAL WORKING CAPITAL
9.      COST OF PRODUCTION
10.      PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
11.      BREAK EVEN POINT
12.      RESOURCES OF FINANCE
13.      INTEREST CHART
14.      DEPRECIATION CHART
15.      CASH FLOW STATEMENT
16.      PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET