Development and application of a stovetop essential oil apparatus

CHED 421

Matthew R. Miner, Sandra A. Martin, and Jacqueline Bennett, bennetjs@oneonta.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, SUNY College at Oneonta, Oneonta, NY 13820
Essential oils are widely known both for their uses in the fragrance and aromatherapy industries as well as their medicinal properties. However, essential oils can become quite expensive due to the fact that it requires a great deal of raw plant material to extract the quantities of essential oil usually sold to consumers. Because these oils do have a very limited shelf life and the typical consumer uses very little at a time, we decided to develop an apparatus that could be used to easily make essential oils on an “as needed” basis. Although based on the principle of steam distillation, consumers can isolate their own essential oils from a plant of their choice with no prior knowledge of distillation. Other currently available at-home essential oil products are expensive, fragile, and complex. Our apparatus is inexpensive, durable, and easy to use. A prototype will be presented as well as oils that have been isolated using our apparatus.