Valorisation of local and low cost eco-materials has become an imperative for the sustainable development of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) in West Africa. In this study, Jatropha curcas crude oil is studied as alternative heat transfer fluid or thermal energy storage material, particularly as a thermal oil substitute. The thermal stability of Jatropha curcas crude oil was experimentally investigated. The crude oil was aged by through thermal treatments, using galvanised steel and 316L stainless steel reactor under steady-state and dynamic conditions up to 210 °C. The change in physico-chemical parameters of Jatropha curcas crude oil, such as viscosity, flash point, acidity number, water content, iodine value, peroxide value and chemical composition was monitored. The results indicate a relative stability of the total acid number during the dynamic and pseudo-static tests both in galvanised steel and in 316L stainless steel reactors. The results also show that the measured viscosity at 40 °C remains practically constant after tests in steady-state conditions. This is also the case of the total acidity number. The evolution of iron and zinc contents of the oil shows that the use of 316L stainless steel material highly limits the degradation process of Jatropha curcas crude oil. Therefore, the main benefits of Jatropha curcas crude oil are its sustainable character, wide availability, good energy storage density, low cost and absence of use conflict. The oil can, therefore, be considered a suitable candidate for thermal applications up to 210 °C, such as small scale CSP plants.
