Uji Coba Peyulingan Serai Wangi Dengan Variasi Tekanan Ketel Menggunakan Metode Distilasi Uap Air

Abstract

Lemongrass is an herbal plant known for its refreshing taste and aroma. Citronella is one of the prospective volatile commodities and is rich in benefits. The content contained in this plant can be used in the perfume, food, cosmetic, medicine and aromatherapy industries. This study aims to make a tool and perform essential oil distillation by steam distillation method using citronella plant raw materials, and to determine the effect of variations in boiler pressure on the yield and specific gravity of essential oil of citronella plant. This research was conducted in June-July 2022, data collection starts from the design, tool manufacturing process, refining process, pressure testing and data processing. Analysis of the data in this study is presented qualitatively and quantitatively which is equipped with data tables and diagrams/pictures of the results of the research that has been carried out. Essential oil distillers can be made with a raw material capacity of 1 kg of citronella plant, 3 liters of water, and 90 minutes of distillation time using LPG gas as fuel. After testing using 3 pressure variations, namely 0.5 bar, 1 bar and 1.5 bar, the best quality essential oil is at a pressure of 1.5 bar with a % yield of 1.024% and a specific gravity of 0.886 gr/ml.