Laboratory Oil Separation Set Plus for all hobby distillers – For separating after distillation

A few tips before you start.

This set is ideal for easily separating the essential oil from the hydrosol after distillation. Alongside this set, it’s best to have clean bottles ready for the final bottling. I use wine bottles with corks for the maturation period or beer bottles with swing tops for final storage. Whatever you choose, the main thing is that they are dark-coloured to protect against light. I simply cleaned the bottles with washing-up liquid and rinsed them thoroughly. In my experience, sterilising the bottles, as recommended in many sources, is not necessary. Light is the only enemy. If you plan to keep the hydrolate in the Erlenmeyer flasks for several days, these should first be sealed with plugs rolled from kitchen paper and stored in a dark place. After about a week, the hydrolate should then be decanted into the coloured bottles for storage, or the paper stoppers should be replaced with stoppers 8.1 or 9.1. When storing in wine bottles, the cork can be used upside down to seal the bottle. Over time, the cork allows the hydrolate to mature, a process that is complete after 3 months at the latest. However, only hydrolates with pH ≤ 5 can be stored long-term. My oldest acidic hydrolates are now 4 years old and in very good condition. I have stored them in the cellar at average temperatures below 18 °C. Even occasional temperatures of 22 °C did not affect these hydrolates. I also have hydrolates with 5.5 ≥ pH ≤ 6, which, after a year, showed signs of ageing in terms of their sensory properties without having completely gone off. However, one would not really want these hydrolates. In practice, hydrolates are not usually stored for that long; my aim was to conduct a long-term experiment.

Distillation

This kit offers great flexibility and can be used with stills that have a high distillate outlet, as well as with those that have a low outlet, where a setup like the one shown above is not possible.

In the first case, use one of the Erlenmeyer flasks as a receiver and collect 500 ml as the first fraction. For stills with a high distillate flow rate, you can also, as shown above, use the oil separator directly as a receiver and gradually drain the hydrolate into the Erlenmeyer flask. Depending on the still, the collection takes 8 to 15 minutes. You can assume that the oil is contained in this fraction.

You can set things up so that the Erlenmeyer flask can be replaced for the second fraction without interrupting the distillation. By the middle of the second fraction at the latest, you should hold a pH strip in the distillation stream. Based on this value, you can decide whether a further fraction is worthwhile. If the pH value is below approx. 4.5, you can consider another distillation run. To do this, with the 2-litre hobby set-ups, the distillation must be interrupted as a precaution to top up the water in the still. However, this is not a major issue, as no more oil can be lost. The distillation continues from where you left off.

In my experience, distillation was complete in the vast majority of cases after collecting two fractions. One of the exceptions I encountered was with fennel seeds.

Components

1. Tripod base
2. Tripod rod
3. Cross-shaped sleeve for holding the laboratory clamp.
4. Laboratory clamp. This can be used to hold both an Erlenmeyer flask and the oil separator.
5. Stand ring with clamp holder, 6 cm.
6. Stand ring with clamp holder, 8 cm.
7. Oil separator made of heat-resistant BOROSILICATE GLASS 3.3 – laboratory quality.
   The ideal separating funnel for the clean separation of essential oil and hydrolate during distillation, as well as other liquids with different densities (e.g. oil and water). A separating funnel is an indispensable tool for the distillation of essential oils, with a wide range of other applications in the laboratory and at home. This oil separator is resistant to most acids and heat-resistant even above 100 °C. Top quality so you can enjoy your work for a long time to come.
   1. With plastic laboratory stopper.
   2. NS 29/32 ground joint. Due to its wide neck, this funnel can also be used directly as a receiving vessel for the hydrosol.
8. First Erlenmeyer flask, 500 ml, also made of heat-resistant BOROSILICATE GLASS 3.3. The first fraction of the hydrosol is collected here.
   1. Matching stopper made of natural rubber.
9. Second Erlenmeyer flask, 500 ml, made of BOROSILICATE GLASS 3.3. The second fraction of the hydrolate is collected here. To have it ready, it is held in place in stand ring 6; the changeover must be carried out quickly during distillation. You can, of course, do everything differently.
10. PH-Fix test strips, pH 3.6 to 6.1. Essential for quality assessment.
11. Amber glass set, sealable with original caps including droppers for storing the separated essential oil.
    1. 10 ml bottles,
    2. 20 ml bottles,
    3. 50 ml bottles.
    4. * Original caps with removable dropper inserts. The original caps are ideal for closing and sealing gift or retail bottles.

Now you should be all set for one of the most wonderful hobbies in the world. All you need now is a still. A little tip: if you don’t have one yet, you can get one here from us too;)