How to extract oil from Orange peels:

How to extract oil from Orange peels:

Methods:

• Assemble your materials. In order to extract orange oil in a jar, you will need a mason jar, a zester and some grain alcohol. Because it is largely tasteless, vodka works best for creating orange oil. It will not dilute or overwhelm the orange scent in the finished oil.

• Remove the orange peels. The essential oil in oranges, limonene, is largely found in the peel. Because of this, you will want to remove the peels from oranges before making your oil. You can either cut the peel from the orange with a knife or grind off the peel with a zester.For best results, avoid cutting off any of the pith. This part of the orange has very little limonene and will make your mixture bitter.If you do not have a zester, you can also use a Microplane, a vegetable peeler, or a paring knife.The amount of oranges used can vary. It depends on how many oranges you have or how much essential oil you want to make.

• Dry the peels. Once you have removed the peels, you will need to let them dry. Place them on a paper towel and leave them in direct sunlight until they are completely dry. Depending on the humidity in your area, this can take a couple of days. To accelerate the process, try chopping the orange peels into small pieces (1 in or 2.5 cm).

• Grind the peels. After the peels have dried, place them in a food processor. Grind them until they are a coarse consistency. Avoid over drying your peels. This can cause them to lose some of their limonene.

If you used a Microplane or a zester, you will not need to grind the peels further.

• Warm the grain alcohol. Fill a bowl with warm tap water. It should be warm but not overly hot (around 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius). Place the bottle of grain alcohol in the warm water and let it soak for about 20 minutes.Vodka works well for this process.You can use cold alcohol. However, warm alcohol will help you get more oil.

• Cover the peels with warm grain alcohol and give them a shake. Place the zested or ground orange peel in a mason jar. Pour in enough alcohol to completely cover the orange peels. Once you have covered the grinds, secure the lid and vigorously shake the jar for several minutes.

• Let the mixture sit for two or three days. During that time, you may also want to shake the mixture two or three times a day. You may also consider letting sit longer than a few days. The more you shake it and the longer you let it sit, the more oil you will get from your mixture.

• Strain the mixture. Using a coffee filter or a cheese cloth, strain the mixture into a shallow dish. Be sure to squeeze all of the liquid into the bowl.

• Allow the alcohol to evaporate. Cover the bowl with a cloth or paper towel and let it sit for a few days. This will allow the remaining alcohol in the mixture to evaporate. Once the alcohol has evaporated, you will be left with orange oil.Do not let the towel fall into the mixture. It will suck up the oil.Once the alcohol has evaporated, put the remaining oil in a container with a lid.