EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ETHANOL FROM FRESH VINEGAR LEAVES

EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ETHANOL FROM FRESH VINEGAR LEAVES

CHAPTER ONE

• Introduction

Trichostema lanceolatum popularly known as vinegar belongs to the family lamiaceae.

Normally, it is a plant that comes as shrub and cultivated by stem and the blooming period for it cultivation is from August to October. The leaves if allowed to ferment or in raw form is consumed in all part of world either as vegetable or combine with dry gin and served as drink. Vinegar has some therapeutic effect and functional health properties.

Fermented liquor gotten from the leaves of vinegar consists of about 5-20% of ethanoic acid (CH₃COOH), water and other trace chemicals. This ethanoic acid concentration ranges form 4-8% by volume of vinegar. Natural vinegar contain smaller amount of tartaric acid, citric acid and other acids. Vinegar can be produced naturally or artificially e .g Apple cider, Beer vinegar and coconut vinegar.

Ethanol popularly known as alcohol is a volatile, flammable, colourless liquid with a slight chemical odour. It has structural formula of CH₃CH₂OH which is often abbreviated as C₂H₅OH, C₂H₆O or EtOH (Brust, 2010). It belongs to alkanols group.

1.1     Background of the Study

The production of industrial chemicals is enhancing the economic growth of many nations. Ethanol is one of such industrial chemical used diversely as a solvent for chemicals, as an intermediate in the production of liquid detergents, in the manufacture of drugs, plastics, plasticizers, polishes, and cosmetics and as anti-freeze (Akpan et al 2005).

Vinegar which contain starch or cellulose, during fermentation, yeast metabolizes the starch and produce CO₂ and Ethanol as metabolic end product in an anaerobic condition (Duvernay et al., 2013; Lee et al., 2012).

1.2   Aims and Objectives of the Study.