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An-Najah National University
Chemical Engineering Department
Graduation Project
Extraction of Essential Oils
Prepared by
Mohammad Jarrar
Mohammad Yaseen
Tareq Bourini
Yazid Husni Odeh
Supervisor
Dr.Husni Odeh
Objectives

The aim of our project is to extract oils from
seeds such as : lemon, pumpkin, aniseed and
grape. And from plants such as :thyme,
lavender, sage, rosemary, mint, lemon peels and
leaves.

Essential oils have an economical value,
marketing value and industrial value in both
local and international markets.
Definition
Essential

Oils
Essential oils may be defined as volatile
odoriferous oils of vegetables origin.

Essential oils are aromatic substances widely
used in the Perfume industry, Food and Flavoring,
Cosmetics, and Pharmaceutical Products.
They
have high value in economic since they enter
a wide range of industry.

Extraction Methods
1. Distillation includes :

Steam distillation.

Water distillation.
2. Expression (cold pressing)
3. Solvent extraction.
4. Maceration.
5. Enfluerage.
6. Super critical carbon dioxide.
 Extraction oils from some plants and seeds:
 Plants

( by steam distillation)
Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Mint, Lavender,
Lemon Peel and Lemon Leaves.
 Seeds

(by solvent extraction)
Grape seeds, Aniseeds, Lemon seeds and
Pumpkin seeds.

Solvent extraction:
Essential oils can be extracted by using solvents
such as ethanol and hexane.
 Steam

Distillation
The hot steam helps to release the aromatic
molecules from the plant material since the steam
forces open the pockets in which the oils are kept
in it.

The plants and seeds are :

Rosemary

Sage

Lavender

Thyme

Mint
Lemon leaves

Jasmine
Lemon seeds

Lemon peel
Aniseed
Rosemary oil

Rosemary oil is effective for asthma, bronchitis
and whooping cough.

Some of its products are rosemary oil hair
shampoos.
 Sage

oil
It is effective to stimulate the digestion and
specially a bad appetite.

Sage oil filled in bottles and used as lotion.
Grape seeds oil

It treats a range of health problems including dark
cycles under eyes, diabetes and hypertension.
 Jasmine

Oil
The jasmine oil used for coughing and nervous
debility, treats headaches, eliminate the stress and
depression.
Mint Oil

Mint oil is excellent for mental fatigue and
depression, refreshing the spirit and stimulating
mental ability and improving concentration.
 Pumpkin

seeds oil
In treating cancer, leukemia, sclerosis, or various
diseases which are hard to cure, pumpkin seeds
have an energizing role. And also used in treating
the prostate
Aniseed oil

Aniseed oil is widely used as flavoring
ingredients in all major categories. It also is
used to flavor tobacco products, mouthwashes
and toothpaste and Aniseed oil soap.
 Lemon

peel oil
Lemon oil can be used in a base cream, in a
lotion or as a mouthwash, for mouth ulcers and
throat infections and for oily
skin and it is used as air sterilizer.
Lemon leaves oil

Lemon leaves oil are used in cosmetics
products.

It is used in popular floral perfumes and body
scents.
 Thyme
oil
It fortifies the lungs and helps with colds, coughs,
asthma, whooping cough and sore throats.
Lavender oil

It is very effective for treating headache, acne,
athlete's foot and earache.

Lavender oil has many products mainly in
cosmetics.
 Lemon
seed oil`
It is mainly used in cosmetics
Solvent extraction
◦ This method was used to extract oil from
different seeds (lemon seed, aniseed, pumpkin
seed and grape seed) at room temperature and
using ethanol and n-hexane as a solvents. The
next figure shows the main steps for extraction
essential oil:
Main solvent extraction steps

Amount of 150 g lemon seeds were grinded in house
grinder and put in 1000 ml beaker, then amount of 450
ml ethanol was poured to them, so the solid liquid ratio
is roughly 1:3.

A mixture of grinded seed and ethanol were mixed in the
beaker by using mixer for three hours .

Suction filtration was used in order to separate the liquid
from other solid material.

Rotary evaporator device was used to separate the oil
from the ethanol.

10 ml of pure lemon seeds oil was obtained from this
experiment.

In addition of lemon seed oil, pure oil was extracted
from different seeds such as ( pumpkin seed , aniseed
and grape seed) by using different quantities and two
different solvents (ethanol and n-hexane).
Steam distillation

Steam distillation apparatus was modified by adding a
valve in the bottom of the apparatus .

Each type of treated plants was collected before doing
its experiment, and then the bad parts were removed,
after that the plant was cleaned perfectly and cut for
small pieces.

The steam generator was switched on to produce steam
for the experiment, the treated plant was put in the
apparatus after it was prepared, cooling water valve was
switched on for condensing vapor and the steam was
introduced from the bottom of the retort at low flow .

The liquid produced was filled in bottle as
shown in figure below:
Separation the oils from condensed liquid:

Normal hexane was added to the condensed
liquid and it was mixed together, two layers
were appeared by using separatory funnel; the
first layer is water and the second layer is oil
and solvent. The oil was separated from the
solvent by using rotary evaporator.

In many cases when the amount of oil was
relatively enough (>2ml), the oil is sucked by
using dropper . This is the best method to
recover more than 80% of the oil gathered at the
top surface of water. This was practical method
to separate rosemary oil, lemon peels, mint and
lavender.

The following figure shows sample of mint oil at the
surface of the liquid:

The seeds are grinded by using an electrical machine to increase the
surface area at which the contact between the solvent and the
grinded seeds occur to get the largest amount of oil, the grinded
seeds and the solvent was placed under the mixer in beaker for
about 3 hours in order to achieve good mixing and to improve the
contact between them.

The suction filtration was used in order to separate the liquid which
contains the oil and the solvent from the solid part. The rotary
evaporator was used to separate the oil from the solvent and it was
operated under vacuum pressure to allow solvent removal at low
temperature.
Quantities of oil extracted by different seeds
Steam distillation

The steam was operated at low flow to minimize the amount of
water produced; the treated plant was cut for small parts to allow
the steam to open the pockets which contain oil. Three condensers
were used; the first one is installed on the apparatus, the second one
is coil in cold path of water and the third one is flask in cold path of
water to get the largest possible quantity of oil and to halt any
escape of essential oil from the system. The temperature and
pressure were carefully controlled to avoid burning the oil and it
was about 100 C and 1 bar.
The amount of oil extracted and process
condition:

Steam distillation method was used for extraction the
essential oil from plants which are Sage, rosemary, thyme,
lavender, lemon leaves and lemon peel since this method is
very suitable and the hot steam was able to open the
pockets in which the oil exist.

Solvent extraction method was used for extraction the
essential oil from lemon seeds, aniseeds, pumpkin seeds
and grape seeds and this method give the largest possible
amount of oil and the solvent used in it available and it can
be removed by rotary evaporator.

In steam distillation apparatus, condensation process was
modified by installing another two condensers in order to
catch the high volatile oil which is very volatile and can
escape rapidly from the system

In order to increase the amount of oil and prevent losing of
the volatile oil, the coil must be modified to prevent
accumulation of water and to get the quantity of oil
produced without losing. The next figure shows the
modification process: