HEXANE AND HEPTANE AS EXTRACTION SOLVENTS FOR COTTONSEED - A LABORATORY-SCALE STUDY

For many years, commercial-grade hexane has been the preferred solvent for extracting oil from cottonseed. Recent environmental and health c oncerns about hexane may limit the use of this solvent; therefore, the need for a replacement solvent has become an important issue. Heptane is similar to hexane, but does not have the environmental and health concerns associated with the latter. On a laboratory scale, delinted, dehulled, ground cottonseed was extracted with hexane and heptane. The solvent-to-meal ratio was 10:1 (vol/wt). The yield and quality of the oil and meal extracted by heptane were similar to that extracted by h exane. Extraction temperature was higher far heptane than for hexane. A higher temperature and a longer time were required to desolventize m iscella from the heptane extraction than from the hexane extraction. B ased on these studies, heptane offers a potential alternative to hexan e for extracting oil from cottonseed.