Extracting limonene using liquid carbon dioxide

[sshar1989]

What kind of yield did you have with the peels, How much Limonene were you able to extract?

[UniSotonChem]

Each experiment will get you a few drops of limonene (make sure the peel is well shredded). The quantity you see in the video clip actually came from 3 separate extractions in the same tube (forgive my use of artistic licence!).

[sshar1989]

How was the tube sealed? Any special o-ring in the cap or parafilm over the top? Or was it because the tube deformed slightly that the cap did not pop off because excess pressure was released? In that case how can the pressure be held high enough for the CO2 to become a fluid.

Thanks and great video!

[UniSotonChem]

I just screwed the cap on (not too tight). Yes, deformation of the tube allows some of the gas to escape, but keeps the pressure high enough for the CO2 to become a liquid. I couldn't tell you the pressure value, but it works!

[melvin0444]

Can i try with dry ice, and How many grams i take weight for make that? Thanks

[UniSotonChem]

Not sure. I just crished the dry ice and used enough of it to fill the tube. There's not much there!

[wellferreir]

CAN I DO IT USING 600ml PET? 

[trentontrading]

Do you think it possible to scale up the volume for the purpose of extracting not only lemon essential oil but lavender, vanilla and other organic materials by using mason canning jars ? Canning jars are designed to release pressure build up during the cooking phase and then as it cools creates a vacuum seal for long term food storage.

[UniSotonChem]

I wouldn't like to comment on this. On a big scale like this, there's the potential for excessive and rapid pressure build up. I wouldn't want to try it myself. If you do give it a go, keep well away from it!

[VooDooAssassin2]

i thought it said Extracting lemon aid using liquid carbon dioxide :( i know i was way off but i am a lazy reader.

[JuryDutySummons]

@VooDooAssassin2 Haha... that would be great.

[fireflame65]

so if i stuck weed in that tube.....would i get oil?

[MrPoorKid]

How much pressure builds in the centrifuge tube?

[DRTMaverick]

Where do you get one of these tubes?

[cfkg112]

fifty degrees of celcius or farenheit

[Charleywex]

@cfkg112 I'm fairly certain its degrees C.

[sshar1989]

@cfkg112 Probably Celsius since the school is in the UK.

[lonewolferton]

Global warming real or not doesn't matter. When this is done commercially the CO2 is captured and used over and over.

[mreisma]

man made global warming is not real. i the 70's the media would claim were were headed for an ice age because temperatures were dropping. the sun cycles every 11 years. then the media claims we were headed for "water world" scenario because of global warming. the elitists of the world claim this so they can pass their carbon taxes in which they can control world by allowing countries to expel a certain amount of CO2.  meaning they can deindustrialize any country they wish, including the US.

[vmelkon]

Isn't making solid CO2 an energy intensive process as well?

They compress until it liquifies and then they expand it rapidly so they get a lot of CO2 gas and some solid.

[10jwoo]

what filter do you use?

[LendMeYourHand]

It has been propaganda from the start. Carbons with a negative charge are dangerous, not gases from people & cows. Those carbons are completely safe & a natural process. We wouldnt have tree's if cows werent farting. But however, oil drillers know all about negatively charged carbon.

[EinYamakasi]

1 atm = 14.6959488

Liquid CO2 forms at 5.1 atm or 74.94933888 psi.

(A little data for those looking to try this, use it however you will)

[localbroadcast]

have you considered the amount of energy involved in creating the dry ice vs the energy involved in a distillation?

[freakin1random]

CO2 is toxic....if thats all you can breath :D

Anyway, how much would the pressure raise for a certain volume of dry ice? I have some containers for gas that have unscrewable lids that are pressure rated. I was wondering how much ice i could safely use to do this AND have it be a liquid.

[lowlevelpanic999]

I'd be wary of using different containers. These tubes are safe because they deform as the pressure builds up, allowing gas to leak and preventing dangerous pressures being reached.

If you are going to try it, make sure you give it lots of space!

[omegahunter9]

@freakin1random Well... by that same logic, Nitrogen gas (N2) is toxic. It makes up about 78% of the air we breath too. I'm afraid I have to disagree with the conclusion that CO2 is toxic just because you'll die if that is the only thing you're breathing.

[freakin1random]

@omegahunter9 i was joking lol

[Phunkedub]

@omegahunter9 You are very correct both gasses are toxic it just depends at what level. You inhale highly toxic material every day, just at non-lethal less-toxic levels. Specially in the city. I live in Denver, our air sucks ass. Mountains look nice but make a smog bubble. That's way worse for you than inhaling CO2. CO2 is only dangerous because it weighs more so it wont float away and will cut off oxygen to your brain so in a closed area it will replace the oxygen. I would be more worried about

[Phunkedub]

...dealing with pressurized gasses especially while supercritical.

[han198847]

what is the thing that contain in the vial?

[AbsintheOnYT]

So, how could this be leveraged to safely conduct this "at home." Certainly a 2 liter would be great since then you get to recycle one more item. However, it seems that quickly becomes a dry ice bomb.

[lowlevelpanic999]

I would suggest not scaling it up - the bigger the apparatus, the bigger the bang if it goes wrong!

[LHCb42]

Exactly what kind of vial did you use? Is that just a 15-mL plastic screw-cap conical tube?

[lowlevelpanic999]

It's a 15ml centrifuge tube from Fisher Scientific.

[fusionfreak2009]

@lowlevelpanic999 so is any centrifuge tubes capable of safely holding, and releasing the pressure slowly and safely? 

[DrChagas]

Couldn't distillation be considered green if the eletrical source powering your heating element is from solar or something kentic like wind?

[lowlevelpanic999]

To some extent, yes, you are right. However, small scale distillations are quite inefficient in terms of the amount of energy which is wasted as heat, so a lot of that energy you harness from the sun or the wind will end up dissipating into the atmosphere as heat rather than doing something more useful.

[Ozonelabsinc]

An excellent, informative video.

[TreasureLamp]

Hi, maybe you could help with a question I have. To make sure I understand exactly what happen here:

1) The D-ice is turning into liquid instead of sublimation due to temperature and increased pressure. 2) The liquid is turning into gas due to the temperature. 3) The cap is acting like a simple pressure release valve.

So my question is if: 1) the pressure was not being vented through the cap and if 2) the vessel was strong enough to withstand the increased pressure, then no gas would form?

[lowlevelpanic999]

I guess it's not my field of expertise, really, but I suspect that this is theoretically correct, although in practice there may always be some space in the vessel which allows a small amount of gas to form.

[TreasureLamp]

Thanks for the reply. By the way, I tried to do this today with a specimen vial and well, let's just say I'm glad I wasn't standing next to it when it blew up, lol. Maybe I'll try again with another type of vial, but it seems hard to find a vial that can withstand the needed pressure and still vent excess pressure. Maybe I will construct a threaded pipe with an adjustable pressure release valve set for just above the needed pressure (5bar I think) for liquid to form. Cheers

[myst32YT]

If you get it to work (if you survive) ;-) upload the vid.

[TreasureLamp]

Today after doing a lot research I ordered a special custom pressure valve. When it arrives I will try it out and if it does work (and I survive, lol) then I will definitely make a video as you suggest.

[myst32YT]

My idea is to test a small CO2 fire extinguisher. Since it has a pressure valve and pressure indicator and a way for me to release pressure once I am done. I also think they have safety devices that release the pressure before the tank blows up (will find out for sure). I should be able to find out how much Dry Ice by weight I can use and still keep the pressure in the green. If I get it to work (and survive) I will upload.

[TreasureLamp]

That sounds great. I think fire extinguishers have a burst disk for safety, but not sure. One point might be that co2 needs to be super critical before extraction will occur. I'm not 100% sure, but in this video, the description of "super critical" is not correct as far as I understand. If it has gone super critical in this experiment, it would explain the limonene, but I'm not sure whether only the liquid state will extract plant oil. To make it go critical is a balance of pressure and heat.

[TreasureLamp]

It is possible that the tube went into the super critical stage, but I would guess it is more hit and miss as I mentioned above, it would need the temp high enough that the low pressure of the tube would be sufficient to allow the critical stage to occur. Maybe liquid CO2 will itself extract plant oil, this is what I don't know and want to find out. I know of this experiment being done four other times by a science teacher with the liquid stage attained, but no limonene was extracted.

[3rdDoorontheright]

There is no global warming caused by CO2.

[myst32YT]

Then you should visit Venus.

[myst32YT]

Is there any concern about the vial exploding under the pressure?

[lowlevelpanic999]

I didn't trust it first time round, so I used a safety screen and wore a face-shield! But it seems OK, as the cap releases some of the CO2 to keep the pressure below a level which might be dangerous. If you used a glass tube, it would undoubtedly explode, though!

If you try it, take precautions and make sure your eyes are protected.

[myst32YT]

Good advice!! Thanks for posting this video!!

[OrganicWebhead]

nicely done =) thanks for sharing =)

[dhwanitchem]

Excellent!