Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that has been used to replace petroleum diesel and to generate a positive impact on the economy and the environment. The aim of this paper was at identifying the variety of castor oil plant that could be cultivated and harnessed as bioenergy crops in Tlaltenango (Zacatecas, Mexico). Different varieties of wild castor (Ricinus communis L.) were studied, obtaining oil from its seeds and producing biodiesel from the variety with higher oil content by transesterification reaction at laboratory scale. Both oil and biodiesel were characterized physicochemically, and biodiesel quality was evaluated and compared with biofuels standards ASTM-D6751 (USA) and EN-14214 (European Union). Three varieties were identified; the denominated “green stem with wax, ashen fruit” showed the highest oil content (51.7 ± 5.6%), presenting a yield of the transesterification reaction of 61.44 ± 0.44%. The produced biodiesel complies with recommended value by both standards, except for the viscosity and the moisture, so its use is only suggested in blends with petroleum diesel. In conclusion, the variety “green stem with wax, ashen fruit” has the basic physicochemical characteristics for being considered an option in the industrial production of biodiesel in this city, being safe to use it in diesel engines.

生物柴油是一种替代燃料，已被用来替代石油柴油并对经济和环境产生积极影响。本文的目的是确定可以在Tlaltenango（墨西哥萨卡特卡斯州）作为生物能源作物种植和利用的蓖麻油植物的品种。研究了不同种类的野生蓖麻（Ricinus communis L.），从其种子中获取油，并通过实验室规模的酯交换反应从含油量更高的品种中生产生物柴油。对石油和生物柴油都进行了物理化学表征，并对生物柴油的质量进行了评估，并与生物燃料标准ASTM-D6751（美国）和EN-14214（欧盟）进行了比较。确定了三个品种；命名为“带有蜡的绿色茎，呈灰褐色水果”显示出最高的含油量（51.7±5.6％）酯交换反应的产率为61.44±0.44％。所生产的生物柴油除粘度和水分外均符合两个标准的推荐值，因此仅建议与石油柴油混合使用。总之，“绿色蜡状，灰褐色水果”品种具有基本的理化特性，被认为是该城市生物柴油工业生产中的一种选择，可以安全地用于柴油发动机。