Potassium Carbonate From Banana Peels

Summary

In this video, the creator demonstrates an affordable method to extract potassium carbonate from banana peels. They purchase cheap bananas, peel and dry them, then burn the peels to ash. After dissolving the ash in water and filtering, they obtain a basic potassium carbonate solution. Further purification steps yield a whiter product, resulting in 53 grams of relatively pure potassium carbonate from 954 grams of dried peels. The process showcases a DIY approach to chemical reagent extraction.

Takeaways

• 🍌 The video is about extracting potassium carbonate from banana peels.
• 💸 Bananas were purchased at a very low price of 5 cents per pound.
• 📦 The bananas were frozen, baked, and eaten, with peels set aside for extraction.
• 🔥 The peels were dried in an oven at 200°F, then crushed into a powder.
• 🔬 A total of 954g of dried peels were obtained and subjected to heating and burning.
• ⚱️ The banana peels were carbonized using a propane torch and left to burn overnight.
• 🌄 The next morning, the ashes were transferred and weighed, yielding 156g.
• 💧 Approximately 500mL of water was used to dissolve the potassium carbonate from the ashes.
• 🌀 The solution was filtered and the insoluble ash was rinsed away.
• 🔬 The solution was evaporated to dryness, resulting in a dark-colored potassium carbonate.
• 🧪 Further purification steps were taken to obtain 53g of relatively pure potassium carbonate.
• 📊 The banana peels were found to contain about 5.5% potassium carbonate by weight.

Q & A

What is the purpose of removing potassium salts from bananas?

The purpose is to extract potassium carbonate, which is a useful reagent for various chemical reactions and can also be used to produce potassium hydroxide.

How much did the bananas cost per pound?

The bananas cost 5 cents per pound.

What method was used to dry the banana peels?

The banana peels were dried in batches in an oven set to around 200°F.

How much dried banana peels were obtained after drying?

A total of 954 grams of dried banana peels were obtained.

How was the potassium carbonate extracted from the dried banana peels?

The dried banana peels were heated and burnt to ash, then the ash was dissolved in water and filtered to extract the potassium carbonate.

What was the weight of the ash obtained after burning the banana peels?

The ash weighed 156 grams.

How was the potassium carbonate solution filtered to remove insoluble ash?

The solution was vacuum filtered to remove the remaining insoluble ash.

What was the pH of the potassium carbonate solution?

The pH of the solution was quite basic, as expected for a potassium carbonate solution.

How was the potassium carbonate obtained after evaporating the solution?

The potassium carbonate was obtained by evaporating the solution to dryness on a hot plate.

What was the final weight of the relatively pure potassium carbonate obtained?

The final weight of the relatively pure potassium carbonate obtained was 53 grams.

What percentage of potassium carbonate is present in the banana peels by weight?

The banana peels contain about 5.5% potassium carbonate by weight.

What is the potential use of potassium carbonate mentioned in the script?

Potassium carbonate can be used for different reactions and can also be used to produce potassium hydroxide by thermal decomposition.

Outlines

00:00

🍌 Potassium Extraction from Banana Peels

The video begins with the host introducing a project to extract potassium carbonate from banana peels, a useful reagent. They mention purchasing bananas at a low cost and plan to freeze and eat the bananas while using the peels for the experiment. The peels are peeled off and dried in an oven at 200°F to remove moisture without burning. Once dried, they are crushed into a powder. The dried peels are then carbonized using a propane torch and left to burn overnight. The next day, the ashes are weighed and mixed with water to dissolve the potassium carbonate. After filtering and rinsing, the solution is evaporated to dryness, yielding a dark-colored potassium carbonate. To purify it, the substance is redissolved, filtered through activated charcoal, and re-evaporated to obtain a whiter potassium carbonate powder. The final yield is 53g from 954g of dried peels, indicating a 5.5% potassium carbonate content. The host expresses intent to use this potassium carbonate to produce potassium hydroxide in a future video.

Keywords

💡Potassium Carbonate

Potassium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula K2CO3. It is a white crystalline solid that is soluble in water. In the video, potassium carbonate is extracted from banana peels, which are rich in potassium salts. The process involves drying, burning, and dissolving the peels to isolate the compound. It is useful as a reagent in various chemical reactions and can be further processed to produce potassium hydroxide.

💡Banana Peels

Banana peels are the outer layers of the banana fruit, which are typically discarded after consumption. However, in the context of the video, they are a valuable source of potassium salts, specifically potassium carbonate. The peels are dried, carbonized, and processed to extract the potassium carbonate, demonstrating a creative and sustainable use for an otherwise waste material.

💡Dehydration

Dehydration in this context refers to the process of removing water from the banana peels to make them dry. This is achieved by baking the peels in an oven at a low temperature (200°F). Dehydration is a crucial step in the extraction process as it prepares the peels for the subsequent burning and ashing stages.

💡Carbonization

Carbonization is the process of burning organic material to ash, which is done by heating it in the presence of limited oxygen. In the video, dried banana peels are carbonized using a propane torch to create ash that contains potassium carbonate. This step is essential for the chemical transformation of the peels into a form where the potassium carbonate can be extracted.

💡Ash

Ash is the residue left after the combustion of organic materials. In the script, the banana peels are burnt to ash, which is then used to extract potassium carbonate. The ash is the end product of the carbonization process and contains the minerals that were originally in the peels, including potassium carbonate.

💡Dissolving

Dissolving refers to the process of mixing a solid with a liquid to form a solution. In the video, potassium carbonate is dissolved in water to form a solution. This is done to facilitate the separation and purification of the compound from other substances in the ash.

💡Vacuum Filtration

Vacuum filtration is a laboratory technique used to separate solids from liquids under reduced pressure. In the video, vacuum filtration is used to remove insoluble ash from the potassium carbonate solution. This step helps in purifying the solution by removing any undissolved material.

💡pH

pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. In the video, the pH of the potassium carbonate solution is mentioned as being quite basic, which is expected since potassium carbonate is a basic compound. The pH level is an indicator of the chemical properties of the solution and can affect the success of subsequent chemical processes.

💡Evaporation

Evaporation is the process by which a liquid is transformed into vapor due to an increase in temperature. In the script, the potassium carbonate solution is evaporated to dryness to obtain the solid potassium carbonate. This step is crucial for the crystallization and recovery of the compound from the solution.

💡Impurities

Impurities are unwanted substances that are mixed with a desired compound. In the video, the potassium carbonate obtained initially is described as dark in color, indicating the presence of impurities. These impurities are likely other minerals or organic materials that were not completely removed during the extraction process.

💡Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is a form of carbon processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. In the video, activated charcoal is added to the potassium carbonate solution to help reduce colored impurities. It works by adsorbing the impurities, which can then be filtered out, resulting in a purer product.

Highlights

Introduction to the process of extracting potassium carbonate from bananas

Bananas were purchased at an extremely low price of 5 cents per pound

The plan to freeze and bake the bananas for consumption

Banana peels are rich in potassium salts, specifically potassium carbonate

Peeling and drying the banana peels in batches at 200°F

954 G of dried banana peels were obtained after drying

Dried peels were crushed into a powder for the extraction process

Heating and burning the dried banana peels to ash using a propane torch

Ashes were left overnight to ensure complete burning

156 G of ash was obtained after burning

Dissolving the potassium carbonate in water and heating the mixture

Using a vacuum filter to remove insoluble ash from the solution

The solution was found to be quite basic, indicating the presence of potassium carbonate

Evaporation of the solution to obtain potassium carbonate

70 G of impure potassium carbonate was obtained initially

Further purification using activated charcoal to reduce colored impurities

Final yield of 53 G of relatively pure potassium carbonate

Potassium carbonate content in banana peels is approximately 5.5% by weight

Potassium carbonate can be used to produce potassium hydroxide

A separate video is planned to demonstrate the production of potassium hydroxide

Conclusion and farewell, indicating more projects to come

Transcripts

hey guys and welcome back to another

video and today we're going to be

removing some potassium salts from these

bananas specifically pottassium

carbonate which is very useful reagent I

found these bananas for 5 cents a pound

very very cheap so I picked up a whole

bunch of them and I'm going to just

freeze all the bananas and bake them and

eat them and stuff over time but all the

peels contain lots of pottassium salt so

we're going to go ahead peel all these

and then dry the skins and extract the

pottassium salts from them so first

we'll go ahead and peel all of these

bananas okay as you can see I finished

peeling all of the bananas and we have

this massive mound of banana peels here

so going to put them on a baking sheet

and dry them in batches until we have

all of these completely dried the oven

was set to around 200° F to dehydrate

the peels without burning them once

fully dry the peels were removed and

crushed into a powder in a blender in

total 954 G of the dried peels were

obtained to remove the pottassium

carbonate the dried banana peel must be

heated and burnt to an ash a large

propane torch was used to ignite the

banana peels in a steel pan while

stirring them with a long Steel Rod once

the banana peels were carbonized the

coals were left overnight to fully burn

the steel pan was placed on insulated

fire bricks to prevent the pan from

cooling down too much occasionally the

ashes were stirred to incorporate more

of the charcoal into the ignited

section the next morning the coals had

finished burning completely so the ashes

were transferred to a beaker and weighed

the ashes weighed 156 G to dissolve the

pottassium carbonate approximately 500 m

L of water was added the mixture was

ground in blender to ensure all the

potassium carbonate could dissolve and

then it was heated and stirred for

approximately 30 minutes next the

solution was vacuum filtered to remove

the remaining insoluble Ash the ash was

rins twice with water and then the

potassium carbonate solution was added

to a large Beaker the pH of the solution

showed it was quite basic as expected

the solution was transferred to a

crystallizing dish on a hot plate and

evaporated to dryness the potassium

carbonate obtained was a bit dark in

color indicating some likely impurities

the material was scraped from the dish

and weighed 70 G the impure potassium

carbonate was redissolved in 200 M of

water and

filtered some activated charcoal was

added to the solution to help reduce

colored impurities and then the solution

was filtered again after boiling off the

water the potassium carbonate obtained

was noticeably whiter this was once

again scraped off transferred to a

blender and Blended to a

powder in total 53 G of relatively pure

pottassium carbonate was obtained from

the 954 G of dried banana peels this

means that the banana peels contain

about 5.5% potassium carbonate by weight

potassium carbonate is a useful reagent

for different reactions and can also be

used to produce potassium hydroxide by

thermal decomposition to the oxide and

then rehydration which I plan to do in a

separate video I hope you enjoyed and

I'll see you in a future project okay

bye