Analysis of Thermal Behaviour and Stability of Different Kinds of Metallic Surfactants Prepared from Non-edible Jatropha Oil

Metallic surfactants are considered promising industrial materials. They are widely used as additives in paint, stabilizers in polymers, thickening agents in grease and lubricants, etc. In the present experimental work, metallic surfactants of alkali metals and transition metals were prepared by using non-edible Jatropha oil in an aqueous medium. Jatropha oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids like oleic acid and linoleic acid and contains small amount of saturated fatty acids like palmitic and stearic acid. Metallic surfactants from Jatropha oil were analysed for metal content by using flame photometric (for Na and K) and atomic absorption spectrophotometric method (for Cu, Ni and Zn). The thermal stability of surfactant material was studied by thermogravimetric analyser. Surfactants from Jatropha oil are fairly stable over the range of 100–200 ℃. The activation energy required to onset the thermal decomposition of these surfactants was determined by using the Broido and Coats–Redfern equation models. Jatropha oil-based surfactants could prove to be a cost-effective alternative; these surfactants can be utilized as an additive or thickening material for grease, lubricant and paint industries.