Abstract
Air-dried and ground opium poppy stalks suspended in water containing sodium carbonate catalyst were completely converted into liquid fuels and water-soluble chemicals in a 0.1-L autoclave at 573 K. The major components of the oil were linoleic acid (60.2%) and oleic acid (22.3%). Alcohol-benzene extractable components of the stalks comprised 28.8%, whereas the ether solubility was 7.5%.