Year: 2025 | Month: December | Volume: 12 | Issue: 12 | Pages: 431-436
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20251247
Ethanol-Based Soxhlet Extraction of Residual Oil from Spent Bleaching Earth: Yield Analysis and Process Evaluation
Miftahul Khairati1, Enny Nurmalasari1, Dingga Aulia Rahmah1, Indah Widyastuti1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Politeknik ATI Padang, Padang, Indonesia.
Corresponding Author: Miftahul Khairati
ABSTRACT
Spent Bleaching Earth (SBE), a by-product of the vegetable oil refining industry, contains a significant amount of residual oil that remains trapped within its porous structure. Efficient recovery of this oil can enhance resource utilization and contribute to waste minimization. This study investigates the effectiveness of Soxhlet extraction using ethanol as the solvent for recovering residual oil from SBE. A sample of 10 g of SBE was subjected to three extraction cycles, with individual cycle durations of 27 minutes 05 seconds, 33 minutes 53 seconds, and 36 minutes 26 seconds. Following solvent evaporation, the mass of the recovered extract was determined to be 1.4823 g. The extraction yield was subsequently calculated as 14.823%, indicating moderate efficiency under the operating conditions employed. The results highlight that Soxhlet extraction provides a consistent and reproducible method for oil recovery due to its continuous hot solvent circulation, which facilitates effective dissolution of extractable components. However, the moderate yield suggests that ethanol, as a semi-polar solvent, is not the most optimal choice for extracting non-polar oil residues. Factors such as solvent polarity, extraction time, reflux temperature, and sample particle size likely influenced the efficiency of the extraction process. Despite these limitations, the study demonstrates the potential of Soxhlet extraction as a baseline method for assessing recoverable oil in SBE. Future research aimed at optimizing solvent type, extraction conditions, and process parameters could significantly improve yield and contribute to more sustainable valorization of SBE.
Keywords: Soxhlet extraction, Spent Bleaching Earth (SBE), ethanol solvent, extraction yield, oil recovery
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