Democratic Republic of Congo Moringa Seeds Oil Extraction: Kunyima Method Application
Authors: Kunyima A. B. , Kaseya H. M. , Ntumba M. D. , Lusamba S. N. 
Published: April 2019

Background: The poisoning, one of the nowadays most serious problem of public health in Democratic Republic of Congo since two decades, has made many victims because of the lack of information and because of the population impoverishment unable to accede to health care. The Democratic Republic of Congo has a very rich and diversified vegetable patrimony with known therapeutic properties needing only appropriate technology to deal with the extraction process of oils or active principles.

Aim and Objective: The overall purpose pursued is to endue the country with appropriate (home) technology to solve somewhat the public health problem in DRC. The kinetic study of oil transfer from liquid- solid extraction has been undertaken in view of the phenomenon uptake in order to make possible home technology of reactors sizing, nowadays absent in underdeveloped countries. This is a technical work related to the extraction, modeling and quantification of moringa seeds oil.

Methodology: KUNYIMA method has been successfully extended to the moringa seeds oil extraction in petroleum ether using Soxhlet device to assess its validity. The figures have been plotted by means of Origin 8 program.

Results: When log⁡〖1/(m_(o_e )-m_e )〗 is plotted as a function of time, linear behavior has been obtained at constant temperature (56°C) in dilute medium. The global kinetic constant of this time dependent phenomenon has been calculated [(k=1.2607±0.0591) h^(-1)] to make possible the reactor building for the oil production. The comparison of some parameters of extraction ( me , k ,....)between gourd seeds oil and moringa seeds oil measured and calculated in the same experimental conditions shows in petroleum ether a greater kinetic activity of solvent for gourd seeds oil than for moringa seeds oil followed by significant extraction of gourd seeds oil as fast as the time advanced (kGSO > kMSO).

This observation suggests the existing difference of structures between the two species as it is hereby discussed. Moreover it has been pointed out previously that if the difference  in absolute value is not of the same errors magnitude order it would interpret the solvent effect. It should be noted however it has been observed the ratio [m_s/m_e >1] where the kinetic constant is high (gourd seeds oil) and m_s/m_e <1 where the kinetic constant is low (moringa seeds oil) and this ratio might likewise better give information on solvent effect. Prediction is done of getting possibility of sigmoid curve in the case of the presence of different solvation equilibria. Also the sigmoid obtaining depends likely on both the structure of extractant solvent and the structure of extracted material. In that case the kinetic constant will be calculated in the upright region of sigmoid curve.

Conclusion: Kunyima method has been successfully used in the case of moringa seeds oil extraction. Kunyima method consists in best uptake of the phenomenon, in expressing it in suitable mathematical model in order to determine its velocity through its kinetic constant before sizing the experimentation reactor. The reactor volume depends on both the sizing factor and the desired volumic debit.