Overtime pay

I worked until midnight yesterday at our laboratory on some coconut oil extraction exploratory trials. This is the same project which I hope can bring in some savings or profit to commercial oil extraction due to improved extraction efficiency.

There were three treatments with three replicates: unheated, ohmic-heated and hot plate heated. Before my trial set up, I had to estimate the practical amount of pressure and volume of grated coconut that can be accommodated in my second hand compression chamber. All in all, I ran about 20 sets of trials.

I observed some slightly thicker whitish fat layer slightly beneath the creamy topmost emulsion on the ohmic heated samples but I guess this may end up insignificantly different when analyzed statistically.


The question is now reduced to which is cheaper: fuel or electricity. If electricity is more cost-efficient, then ohmic-heated oil extraction can be a part of an improved commercial oil milling process in tropical countries like the Philippines. I still don't know the answer to this.

On the way out of the Agricultural Engineering building, I saw several coins on the ground in spite of the relatively dark evening. On some days, I'd be fortunate enough to get a penny or two but last night was a jackpot.


I wish my ohmic-assisted oil extraction can really bring some savings to others. It did to me. Fifty one cents on one wintry night.

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written and posted 12.22.07, istoriami