Supercritical Carbon Dioxide.

[sunny789]

Is it possible for me to extract oil from a coconut using this method and cook food with that oil?

[WarmNPrickly]

I don't see why not. I certainly got oil from orange peals that way. It was an undergraduate chemistry experiment.

[sunny789]

OH, nice, I thought you had to use all those big machinery and all for the experiment, so can you tell me how to do it at home, didn't find it on wiki, sorry, and thanks. :D

[WarmNPrickly]

We used little plastic centrifuge tubes. Basically, we stck orang peal and dry ice at the bottom of the centrifuge tube and put the cap on. It was ideally the cap was leaky enough to let pressure out. Occasionally, the caps shot off, so the students aimed it away from anything. You can see the boiling CO2 form in the tube.

The key is that there isn't enough CO2 to cause a dangerous pressure build. Even if it blows, it's not going go cause damage. In never saw a tube explode except for the cap shooting off.

[Arkcon]

At the same time, I don't see why you would, coconut oil is extracted from the dried coconut with a press -- it can't be harder for a layman to rig up a press than to get a super-critical CO2 rig.

[sunny789]

Oh, Did you keep the centrifuge tube in the centrifuge after that,and how long did you keep it there, and where was the oil formed?

Thanks. :P

[sunny789]

Curiosity, because they have been useing the method for a very loong time, just wanted to know the alternatives. :P

[Baracus]

We used little plastic centrifuge tubes. Basically, we stck orang peal and dry ice at the bottom of the centrifuge tube and put the cap on. It was ideally the cap was leaky enough to let pressure out. Occasionally, the caps shot off, so the students aimed it away from anything. You can see the boiling CO2 form in the tube.

The key is that there isn't enough CO2 to cause a dangerous pressure build. Even if it blows, it's not going go cause damage. In never saw a tube explode except for the cap shooting off.
That was liquid CO2, not supercritical. The critical pressure of CO2 is 72.9 atm and you were no where near that with a leaky centrifuge tube.

I don't think supercritical CO2 is something the home or kitchen chemist is going produce without some serious investment. I knew some people in grad school that worked with it and they used chunky steel pressure vessels with sapphire windows.

[sunny789]

Oh ! Lol. :P
SO then if i had to experiment with it, I would have to go to a chemist who owns it or something?

[WarmNPrickly]

Yes, it was liquid CO2 not supercritical but it also works.

The centrifuge tube never went in the centrifuge. It was just used as a convenient container. The oil ended up at the bottom of the tube after the CO2 boiled off.

[sunny789]

OH, thanks. :D
Ill try the one with liquid CO2, but the super critical thing is very expensive?

[sunny789]

And is it possible for me to use calcium chloride to dehydrate the water from the coconut and then press it to get oil which I can use?