Clove leaf distillation using briquette fuel with starch and molasses as a binder

Abstract

Clove is a typical Indonesian plant and one of 40 essential oil export commodities. The critical oil content of cloves is distributed among flowers (15–20%), stems (5–7%), and leaves (1–4%). The simplest way to obtain clove oil is by water and steam distillation, commonly called water and steam distillation. In this research, clove leaf distillation uses briquettes made from bagasse with starch and molasses adhesive as fuel. These briquettes are made from bagasse with starch and molasses adhesive. The calorific value of briquettes prepared with starch and molasses adhesives was 28.996 MJ/kg and 27.019 MJ/kg, respectively. This calorific value is above the calorific value of SNI briquettes (20.934 MJ/kg). For comparison, the SNI for briquettes made in Japan, England, and America are 25.121 – 29.307, 30.518; 26.084 (MJ/kg) respectively. Clove leaf distillation at a temperature of 200 °C and a pressure of 1 atm for 8 h. The briquette requirements during the refining process are 20 kg and 23.5 kg, respectively, for briquettes made with starch and molasses. Clove leaf oil resulting from the distillation process is purified by an adsorption process using natural zeolite as an adsorbent. Furthermore, analysis of clove oil using GC–MS showed that the total eugenol content in the samples distilled using briquettes with starch and molasses binders was 90% and 87%, respectively. This value is greater than the total eugenol of clove leaf oil based on SNI (78%). Based on the overall analysis results, it can be concluded that the characterization of the calorific value of briquettes affects the quality of clove leaf oil.