Oil extraction from semi-defatted babassu bagasse with ethanol: Liquid-liquid equilibrium and solid-liquid extraction in a single stage

Abstract

This study presents liquid-liquid (LLE) and solid-liquid extraction (SLE) data for systems involving babassu oil and ethanol at temperature range from 298.2 to 318.2 K. The babassu oil has a majority composition in saturated triacylglycerols, whereas the semi-defatted babassu bagasse had a moisture content of 6.9% ± 0.2 and oil mass fraction of 11.45% ± 0.01. The LLE data were well described by the NRTL thermodynamic model with an overall mean deviation of 0.67% in mass. The good oil solubility in the anhydrous ethanol was evidenced by its total miscibility at 318.2 K. SLE results revealed that the preferential oil retention in the raffinate phase was the determining factor for low oil concentrations in the extract phase. Comparing both LLE and SLE results it was verified that, despite the high oil solubility in ethanol, lower extraction yields were related to lower oil amounts in the extract, indicating the predominance of the solid-solute interaction.