Purifying used Cooking oil with the use of Ginger, Banana Peel, and Citrus Peel

Rationale

Recycling and re-using of used oil is preferable to disposal and can provide great
environmental benefits. Recycled used oil can be re-refined into new oil, processed into fuel oils, and
used as raw materials for the petroleum industry.

Today, many people are not conscious about their daily actions and on how they impact the
environment. When it comes to cooking oil, instead of recycling it, many restaurant and homes
dispose the cooking. As a result, clogging occurs to the drainage pipe and sewage lines.

Methodology
Materials

1. Used cooking oil

2. Ginger slices
3. Banana peels
4. Citrus (lemon) peel
5. Cheesecloth
6. 4 embroidery hoops
7. Paper towel
8. Air-tight jar
9. FFA strips

Procedure

1. A strainer will be used to remove coarse particles from the used cooking oil.
2. The used cooking oil will be heated for about 10-15 minutes in a sauce pan.
3. Lining the strainer with a cheesecloth to strain the oil again.
4. Heating the oil for another 2-3 minutes then adding the ginger slices, banana peel and
citrus peel.
5. After 2-3 minutes of heating, turn off
6. the heat leaving the three plant components.
7. Remove the plant components after 2 minutes from the oil.
8. Make a four layer filter using the cheesecloths lined with each four (4) embroidery
hoops and put each plant component in between each layer then for the last and
bottom layer line the strainer with paper towel.
Order: (top to bottom layer)
Hoop with cheese cloth
Banana peel
Hoop with cheese cloth
Citrus peel
Hoop with cheese cloth
Garlic slices
Hoop with cheese cloth
Paper towel
Strainer
 Container
9. Hold the filter above a container then slowly pour the oil.
10. After filtering, put the oil in an airtight jar then store it on a room temperature.

Testing Method
While the purified oil is being heated, the FFA strip will be dipped in the oil. The colored bars
that will appear on the strip will determine its level of purity.

Hypothesis

Alternative Hypothesis

- Banana peel, Ginger, citrus peels can be a purifier of cooking oil and a substitute for
expensive purifying agents.

Null Hypothesis

- Banana peel, Ginger, Citrus peels cannot be a purifier of cooking oil and substitute
for expensive purifying agents.

Statement of the Problem

General Problem

- How can ginger, citrus peel and banana peel purify used cooking oil?

Specific Problems

- What components does garlic, citrus peel and banana peel contain that can purify
used cooking oil?
- What is the level of purity of the oil with the use of ginger, citrus peel and banana
peel to the commercially available cooking oil in terms of:
a. Color and clarity
b. Odor
c. Feasibility

RRL

Cooking oil is not used only once, some entrepreneurs take this as a problem on how to reuse
cooking oil. Like Fast-food chain, they produce a lot of used cooking oil everyday.

According to Victa A., Caranyagan J., Nasam J., Anthony (n.d) based on the result of the
evaluation, the researchers came up with the result that the purification is highly effective. However,
there are things to be considered in this experiment like the flavor of the ginger, because it can
affect the taste of the food it is mixed with. Ginger have protease ions used for purification processes
through breaking down peptide bonds of proteins.

Banana peels are common waste and is considered as useless material but people doesn’t
realize its popularity in creating another product. It is a common waste from household and even
industries that cannot be reused again but according to a study, it is an agent for most of cosmetics
and compost because of the nutrients it contains (Hossain, et al., 2012). This is also beneficial in the
field of medicine or in health thus it proves that this waste product is very useful as it benefits us and
our environment.

It does have a lot of nutrients that are needed in making another product like fertilizer. Since it
has a lot of capabilities like absorption capacities to remove chromium from wastewater (Memon, et
al., 2008), copper (Hossain, et al., 2012) and also some dyes (Velmurugan, et al., 2011) it is also very
useful for purification and refining processes. From the study entitled Banana Peels: An economical
Refining agent for carcinogen Substance in waste Cooking Oil, the result shows that dehydrated
banana peel is the best material applied to remove peroxide in waste cooking oil, therefore banana
peels are effective and it might help to purify used oil.

Cooking oil being used many times is dangerous to our health because of its chemical
content that are identified (some are unidentified) like free radicals called peroxide, that can cause
a lot of diseases like cancer. Since banana peels has an ability to absorb, this can help to reduce its
dangerous chemical content.

CITRUS PEEL

A lot or researches was already conducted to show how citrus peels could be used in water
purification and these researches have shown the potential of citrus in doing so. One of the
researchers have stated “the results show a great potential for the use of said material as absorbents
capable of competing with commercial activated carbon for the absorption and recovery of metals
present in wastewater” (Romero Cano). And on another research by Dickinson, it was observed that
lemon peels remove 96.4 % lead-ion contaminant. Thus, citrus peels have the potential in purifying oil
as well as it is known to have a high percentage of limonene. Limonene is a naturally occurring
compound present in orange peel which is known as an anti-microbial agent. Limonene have
already been used for cleaning products, cosmetics, food flavoring and aroma therapy. It is highly
used in food-grade products and was approved by the world health organization to be safe as it is
low in toxicity. The good thing about citrus peels is that it can easily be obtained and is inexpensive.

According to the research entitled Citrus peel as a source of functional ingredient, citrus contains
active phytochemicals that can protect health. Dietitians recommend the intake of this because of
its content like vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers that can help in the prevention, reduction and
treatment of chronic diseases like cancer(as cited in Figuerola et Al.,2005).Citrus biological
properties like anticlotting and strong antioxidant are one of the effective contribution of this
fruit If used cooking oil contains free radicals that causes diseases like cancer therefore the
antioxidant property of citrus can help prevent and treat free radical-mediated disease
(Huang et Al.,2001) Like banana peels it is more effective when it is dried. So this research
study concluded that citrus peels serves as non-caloric bulking agents, enhance water and
oil retention and treat or prevent disease.

References:

Rafiq, Shafiya & Kaul, Rajkumari & Sofi, S A & Bashir, Nadia & Nazir, Fiza & Nayik, Gulzar. (2016).
Citrus peel as source of functional ingredient: A review. Journal of the Saudi Society of
Agricultural Sciences. 17.10.1016/j.jssas.2016.07.006.
Taqiuddin, R. and Aliah, N. (2011). APEC Youth Scientist Journal: Banana Peels: An economical
Refining agent for carcinogen Substance in waste Cooking Oil.

Victa, A.