Project Abstract

Abstract
Steam distillation is a widely used technique in the extraction of essential oils from plant materials. In this project, an open steam distillation column was constructed to extract essential oils from lavender flowers. The column was designed to allow the passage of steam through the plant material, carrying the essential oils with it. The essential oils were then condensed and collected for further analysis and potential use in various applications. The construction of the open steam distillation column involved the assembly of a vertically oriented glass column with a steam inlet at the bottom and a condenser at the top. The lavender flowers were placed in the column, and steam was passed through them, allowing the essential oils to vaporize and be carried upward with the steam. The vapor mixture then passed through the condenser, where it was cooled and condensed back into a liquid form. The condensed liquid, containing the essential oils, was collected in a separate container for subsequent analysis. The efficiency of the open steam distillation column was evaluated by analyzing the yield of essential oils obtained from the lavender flowers. The quality of the essential oils was also assessed using techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the individual components present in the oil. The results showed that the open steam distillation column was effective in extracting essential oils from the lavender flowers, with a high yield of quality oil obtained. The construction of the open steam distillation column provided valuable hands-on experience in the design and operation of a distillation apparatus. It also demonstrated the principles of steam distillation and essential oil extraction in a practical setting. The project highlighted the importance of proper equipment design and operation in achieving efficient extraction of essential oils from plant materials. Overall, the construction of the open steam distillation column was successful in extracting essential oils from lavender flowers. The project provided insights into the process of steam distillation and essential oil extraction, as well as practical experience in the construction and operation of a distillation apparatus. The results obtained from the project can be used to further optimize the design and operation of steam distillation columns for the extraction of essential oils from various plant materials.

Project Overview

1.0     INTRODUCTION

Distillation is a separating technique in which two liquids are separated at essentially the same temperature and pressure.  It is also the term used to describe the operation where the vaporization of a liquid mixture yields a vapor phase containing more than one constituents and it is desired to recover one or more of this constituents in a nearly pure state.

It would probably be beneficial to define the terms that describe the process and related properties.  Let us begin by describing the process by which a substance transformed from the condensed phase to the gas phase.  For liquid, this process is called VAPORIZATION and for a solid it is called SUBMIATIN, both processes requires heat.  All substances regardless whether they are liquids or solids are characterized by a vapor pressure.  The vapor pressure of a pure substance is the pressure exerted by the substance against the external pressure which is usually  atmospheric pressure. Vapor pressure is a measure of the tendency to escape.  When the vapor pressure of a liquid substance reaches the external pressure the substance is observed to Boil.  If the external pressure is atmospheric pressure, the temperature at which a pure substance boils is called the NORMAL BOILING POINT.  Solid substances are not characterized by a similar phenomena called BOILING.  They simply vaporize directly into the atmosphere.

Generally speaking, distillation, stripping, absorption, humidification are industrial stage wise operations which involves the contact of two phases in various apparatus.  Completion of separation depends upon certain properties of components involved and the arrangement of the distillation process.

The properties involved are:

–                     Mode of temperature and process control

–                     The relative volatility between the liquid and vapor phases

–                     The production capacity of the distiller

–                     The type of distillation involved

However, the importance of distillation in commercial process is the purification of a large variety of material and petroleum industries.  It is applied in the production of hot drinks in chemical industries.  Also, applied in oil companies for the separation of petroleum into its various components e.g kerosene, diesel, gasoline, petrol, fuel, oil, lubricating oil, paraffin wax, aliphatic etc.  Lastly, it is equally applied in pharmaceutical industries for the production of ethylated spirits and many other medical strubs.