Diseño del proceso de extracción de aceite de higuerilla (Ricinus Communis L.) en la provincia de Chimborazo mediante el estudio de las variables óptimas en cada etapa.

Abstract

The objective of this curricular integration work is to design a process for extracting castor oil (Ricinus communis L.) in the province of Chimborazo by studying the optimal variables at each stage. For which the characterization of the raw material was carried out in two sectors of the province of Chimborazo; San Vicente de Lacas y Cubijíes, belonging to the city of Riobamba. Once the analysis of standardization of fats, moisture and ashes was carried out, it was determined that the type of seed from the community of San Vicente de Lacas has an excellent content of fat with 43.38%, for this reason, the process was started. of extraction with this variety of seed. Thus, the experimentation was also carried out with 250 grams of castor fruit, the procedure was developed by soxhlet extraction with ground seeds in the presence of 96% ethanol, the process conditions are: drying at a temperature of 90 degrees Celsius, size reduction of 1.40 millimeters and solute to solvent ratio of 1 to 3, for a period of six hours. Subsequently, a chemical refining was carried out, this process was carried out to better preserve the oil and eliminate its impurities, the procedure consists of four processes, degumming, neutralization, discoloration and evaporation. Finally, for the validation of the process, the physicochemical analysis of the refined oil was carried out, verifying that the results are within the ranges established by the ASTM standards. In the same way, the cost- benefit analysis was developed, determining that the project is economically profitable. It is recommended to carry out a seed grinding process as a previous treatment to obtain better oil yield.