From Waste to Useful Products: The Isolation of Components from Fusel Oils

Awad, Julia; Visconti, Julia

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From Waste to Useful Products: The Isolation of Components from Fusel Oils

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The goal of the experimental research and work described below was to investigate plausible process operations to extract valuable components from the organic phase of a fusel oil waste stream in E & J Gallo’s spirit making operations. The experimental plan for the project consisted of unit operations for drying the fusel oil, extracting, and separating components of fusel oil, and reactive methods to produce valuable esters. Lab scale experiments were carried out in each of these focus areas to investigate the feasibility of fusel oils use in various chemical operations. The experimentation led to a clearer understanding of the complex matrix and variation in chemical makeup of the fusels obtained from the spirits distillation process. The results of this work have also narrowed the path for future research and development of products from the fusel waste stream. Drying experiments revealed salt drying processes with sodium sulfate to be most effective and viable for use on a larger scale. Extraction and separation experiments show that different components of the fusel oil can be isolated using various techniques such as adsorption, evaporation, and column chromatography. Fischer esterification and transesterification experiments could be a reliable process to directly produce valuable ester products from fusel oil, however further investigation into the ideal reaction conditions and kinetics will be required.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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