Extracting the neem oil

by Janine
(Mulwala NSW, 2647)

Is extracting the oil from neem an easy process? How is this done?
Regards, Janine

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Extracting the neem oil

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Neem oil extraction
by: Birgit

Dear Janine,
Are you interested in how the neem oil extraction process works on a large scale? How the commercial growers extract the neem seed oil for sale?

Or are you interested in methods to make your own neem oil from neem seeds?

Because that are very different processes.

There are two main commercial processes: pressing and extracting the neem oil.

For pressing the seed kernels are crushed and squeezed. This releases and separates the oil. Some of the active ingredients in neem oil are susceptible to heat, so cold pressed oil is the best.

Extracting the neem oil means soaking the crushed kernels in an organic solvent. Usually hexane is used. This neem oil extract is inferior to cold pressed neem oil.

The kernels may be pressed first, and then the neem oil in the remaining neem seed cake is extracted with hexane. In India that extract is mostly used for soap making.

Now, let's assume you want to do something with your own neem seeds at home:

You don't want to play around with organic solvents as those are not exactly healthy substances. And you probably don't have the machinery for crushing and pressing seed.

So the easiest thing to do is to make a watery extract. It's a method that is also widely used in third world countries to produce neem seed extract for spraying agricultural crops.

Both a low tech method for making at least some neem oil, and also the method for producing the watery neem seed extract, are explained on this page:

Neem Seed Oil And Extracts
Neem Oil Extraction
by: Rodolfo

Due to ignorance, neem trees are used for charcoal in parts of the Philippines. They planted the trees initially to drive away mosquitoes.
When the trees did not repel the mosquitoes, they just allowed the trees to grow.

Now that the trees have grown, they cut them and use the trunk for making charcoal.

Using water as a solvent to extract neem tree active insect repellent needs to be taught.

oil extraction
by: gina

i'm writing an assignment on the use of neem oil insect repellent in school. i'm a student of kwame nkrumah university of science and tech, ghana. i'm interested in knowing which organic solvents are used,the procedures and any other important information. can you please help me?
Extraction of neem oil from neem leaves
by: Intel

Pls help me in my work I need it badly beacuse it's our project in research in Mandaluyong science first year we will try to make an insect repellant we just use another leaves like lemon grass for the liquid so please help me with my problem.

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