Thesis Abstract

Abstract
Steam distillation is a widely used technique for the extraction of volatile compounds from various plant materials. In this project, an open steam distillation setup was constructed to extract essential oils from mint leaves. The distillation setup consisted of a round-bottom flask with the plant material and water, connected to a condenser for the collection of the distillate. The distillation process was carried out by heating the flask, causing the water to boil and produce steam that carried the essential oil vapors through the condenser, where they were condensed back into a liquid form. The collected essential oil was then separated from the aqueous distillate using a separating funnel. The yield of essential oil obtained from the mint leaves was determined, and the quality of the oil was assessed through organoleptic evaluation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The constructed open steam distillation setup proved to be effective in extracting essential oils from mint leaves. This project provides a simple and cost-effective method for small-scale extraction of essential oils using steam distillation technique.

Thesis 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. The search for a lather that would turn in only one direction probably ended in the fifteenth century, when the lathers powered by cranked flywheels and giant wheels powered by hand foot horse, and even water were invented, Leonardo a Vinci was one of the many inventors who designed the early continuous drive lather. However, today, wood lathe machined are powered by an electric motor which provide the continuous motion needed.

Although, wood lathe machines are made from metal steel, iron etc.

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 Traditionally, it was thought that the ancient 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.