International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 03 Issue: 08 | Aug -2016 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 METHODOLOGY TO EXTRACT ESSENTIAL OILS FROM LEMONGRASS LEAVES: SOLVENT EXTRACTION APPROACH M.A.Suryawanshi1, V.B.Mane2, G.B.Kumbhar3 Department of Chemical Engg, Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engg., Navi Mumbai *[email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract—Perfume extraction is the extraction of distillation. The use of plants extracts is part of a aromatic compounds from raw materials, using competitive market, which includes pharmaceuticals, methods such as distillation, solvent extraction etc. food, cosmetics, and perfumery markets. The Asian The extracts are essential oils, absolutes, butters, continent with its diversity of climates appears to be depending on the amount of waxes in the extracted the most vital producer of essential oils. Lemongrass product. Here, in this work solvent extraction and (Cymbopogon Citratus), a perennial plant with long, steam distillation methods were used to extract thin leaves, is one of the largely cultivated medicinal essential oil from lemongrass leaves. Solvent plants for its essential oils in parts of Asia, Africa and extraction method yielded 1.85% and steam America. It contains 1-2% of essential oil on dry basis distillation methods yielded 0.86% essential oil and the chemical composition of Lemongrass respectively. From the analysis solvent extraction (Cymbopogon Citratus) essential oil is varying widely method gave the highest yield because of the less upon genetic diversity. The leaves of Lemongrass exposure to air and heat. (Cymbopogon Citratus) present lemony Keywords: Lemongrass, solvent extraction, steam characteristic flavour due to its main content, citral distillation. which present great importance to the industry. I. INTRODUCTION Citral, a combination of neral and geranial isomers, is Essential oils are extracts of various plant materials used as a raw material for the production of ionone, and do not originate from flowers, but from herbs, vitamin A and beta-carotene. There were a number of trees and various other plant material. It is estimated studies carried out to prove the anti-oxidant, anti- that the global number of plants contains about 10% microbial and anti-fungal activities of Lemongrass of essential oils and could be used as a source for (Cymbopogon Citratus). The common methods to their production. Their extracts are formed by extract essential oil from medicinal plant, including combination of diverse and complex volatile mixtures for Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus), are hydro of chemical compounds. In industry, the essential oils distillation (HD), steam distillation, solvent are extracted from fresh or partially dried leaves extraction. It is proved through a number of studies, using various method of extraction like hydro that the quality of essential oil mainly depends on its © 2016, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 4.45 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1775 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 03 Issue: 08 | Aug -2016 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 constituents which is primarily influenced by their of this work will stimulate the development of the extraction procedures. In contrast, these common perfume industry locally because of available, cheap methods can induce thermal degradation, hydrolysis raw materials. More jobs will be created by those that and water solubililization of some fragrance will be engaged in planting/cultivating of the plant as constituents. In addition, the oil obtained through well as establishing small scale extraction plants. solvent aided extraction contains residues that There will be reduction on the resources spent on pollute the foods fragrances to which they are added. importation of lemon grass fragrance by end users. As a means to overcome this sort of drawbacks, an advance and improved method such as microwave- II. MATERIALS AND METHOD assisted extraction, subcritical water extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction have been applied to A. Plant Samples shorten extraction time, improve the extraction yield Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus) leaves were and reduce the operational costs. Recently, collected from garden. The plant sample was freshly microwave-assisted hydro distillation procedures for cut, 10cm from the root, in the morning of the day isolating essential oils have become attractive for use they were collected. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon in laboratories and industry due to its effective Citratus), the percentage essential oil yield for the heating, fast energy transfers and also an partially dried leaves was found to be higher than environmental friendly extraction technique. Its that of the fresh leaves. Thus, once collected, the acceptance as potential and powerful alternative for plant material was dried at room temperature for conventional extraction techniques has been proved maximum 4 days, then kept in a sealed plastic bag at through several research. Therefore, the aim of the ambient temperature and protected from the light. present study was to investigate the applicability of Extraction yield increase by decreasing the particle the method to extract oils from Lemongrass size due to the higher amount of oil released as the (Cymbopogon Citratus) extracts based on the leave cells are destroyed by milling. In order to extraction yield and constituents of oils obtained improve the collection efficiency, the plant material under optimized condition. The effect of operational was soaked in its distilled water for 30min before the parameter such as extraction time and water to raw extraction performed. material ratio were evaluated to identify its optimum condition for extraction. B. Reagents This technical paper focuses on the production of N-hexane was used as analytical grade reagent perfumes from natural/plant sources as against purchased from Research Lab. synthetic chemicals thereby will reduce any side effect resulting from synthetic chemicals. The success © 2016, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 4.45 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1776 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 03 Issue: 08 | Aug -2016 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 C. Solvent Extraction Method condense the ensuring steam. When the water 150g of the dry sample of lemongrass were weighed reached 100oC it started boiling ripping off the from the sliced lemongrass sample and placed in a 1 essential oil from the lemongrass. When the lit clean flat bottom flask. 500ml of N- hexane solvent lemongrass got heated up, the essential oil that was were poured into the flask. The flask and content extracted from the leaf mixed with the water vapor. were allowed to stand for 36 hrs; this was done to Both passed through the condenser and the vapor extract all the oil content in the lemongrass and for was condensed into liquid. With the use of ice block, complete extraction. After which the extract was cooling was made possible and volatilization of the decanted into another 1 lit beaker. 200ml of Ethanol essential oil was avoided. The condensate was were added to extract the essential oil since essential directly collected using a 500ml beaker and then oil is soluble in Ethanol. The mixture was then poured into a separating funnel. This formed two transferred to 500ml separating funnel and layers of oil and water. The tap of the separating separated by a process called liquid/liquid funnel was opened to let out the water while the oil separation process. The content of the separating was immediately collected into a 100ml stoppered funnel was and allowed to come to equilibrium, bottle. The bottle was closed tightly to prevent which separated into two layers (depending on their vaporization of the essential oil. The oil was collected different density). The lower Ethanol extract and the and the volume of oil obtained was weighed. upper Hexane layer were collected into two separate E. Formulation of Perfume 250ml beaker and were placed in a water bath at 10ml of lemongrass essential oil extract were 78oC. This was done to remove the Ethanol leaving measured and placed in a 120ml beaker containing only the natural essential oil. The yield of oil was 5ml of Methanol. 5ml of the Fixatives were added to determined by weighing the extract on an electronic the mixture (to improve the longevity of the weighing balance. The difference between the final perfume). The solution was shaken and poured into a weight of the beaker with extract and the initial 50ml bottle. weight of the empty beaker gave the weight of Yield of oil that obtained was calculated by: essential oil. Yield of essential oil = D. Steam Distillation Method a m o u n t of essential oil (g) obtained / amount of 150g of fresh lemongrass sample were placed into a 1 raw materials (g) used lit round bottom flask containing 250ml of distilled water. The flask was fitted with a rubber stopper III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION connected to condenser and heated. Water at 0oC Quality and quantity of oil essential mainly depends flowed counter currently through the condenser to on the extraction procedures. In this research, the © 2016, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 4.45 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 1777 International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 03 Issue: 08 | Aug -2016 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 following methods were studied to obtain the The result of steam distillation process was 1.01g maximum yield to formulate the perfume from weight of 150g of lemongrass sample giving 0.70% lemongrass leave. Extraction time was 180 min, 360 yield of oil. min, 540 min, 720 min, 900 min, 1200 min. Solvent Extraction Method— Method of % Yield 0.8 Extraction Solvent extraction 1.30% 0.6 Steam distillation 0.70% 0.4 Table I: Result of Essential Oil Extraction weight weight (g) 0.2 S… The oil produced was pale yellow, with an odour, 0 180 360 540 720 900 1200 pungent and cooling taste.