BALAKRISHNA GOWDASANTOSH R ARASINAGUDI2020-10-062020-10-062019-08-27https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810152452Biodiesel production from non-edible sources has become one of the most prime areas of search for renewable fuels. The currently used non-edible tree born oil seeds are considered as long gestation sources which take 5-10 years to provide economic yield of feedstock. There are probabilities of having short gestation crops viz. annual/ seasonal crops in short cycles that can provide the feedstock continuously. The present study was conducted with a view to introduce one such crop plant to the list of plants aiding uninterrupted production of biodiesel. Arctium lappa L. plants were raised in two locations Biofuel Center, GKVK, Bengaluru and Biofuel Park, Madenur, Hassan during September, 2016 in order to check the feasibility of establishment of the annual herb and to study the properties of oil feasible for use in biodiesel production. The morphological characters of the plant, oil content estimation, biochemical properties of oil and biodiesel have been investigated following standard methods. The oil was found to be rich in linoleic acid (62.06 %) with viscosity (41.07 mm2 /s) and density (919 kg / m3 ). Biodiesel production was carried out in a single stage process, involving alkali catalyzed transesterification with maximum conversion of 96.2 %. From the study, Arctium lappa L. was found to contain about 20-23 % oil in its seeds and yields are estimated about 1,700 kg per hectare in 7-8 months. The growth performance of plant was found to be good in both the locations and biodiesel properties were on par with the International standardEnglishThesis