Effectiveness of Citronella Oil Distiller Steam Method with One and Two Furnaces

Abstract

The effectiveness of citronella oil distillers with one and two furnaces was studied. The parameters measured were the ability of the distiller to extract essential oils, distillation time, and the cost of the fuel used. The ability of the distiller to extract essential oils was measured based on the amount of essential oil produced. The distillation time was calculated from the time the distiller was operated until no oil was observed in the condensate. Fuel costs were calculated based on the amount of fuel used. The results showed that compared to single furnace distillers; two furnace distillers have faster and more effective extraction capabilities. The yield of citronella oil that could be extracted by distillers one and two furnaces was respectively 0.73 and 0.77%. Activation of the second furnace in the two-furnace distiller caused an increase in production costs of Rp.5416.67 for the distillation of 25 kg of raw material. The increase in production costs contributed to a decrease in processing time of 15.16% (from 296.33 to 257.33 minutes), an increase in the amount of oil that could be extracted by 5.44% (from 186.00 to 193.67 ml), an increase in effective capacity by 19.92% (from 37.66 to 45.16 ml / hour), and increased distillation effectiveness by 4.12% (from 85.52% to 89.04%).