Non Traditional Laboratory Experiments: Olive Oil Manufacturing And Testing

As part of an integral approach in using hands-on teaching and learning, the Chemical Engineering Department at Rowan University is constantly developing unique experiments in which students learn fundamental principles through exploration of familiar objects, products, and processes. The manufacturing and analysis of olive oil utilize a series of chemical processes and analytical techniques that are not traditionally covered in chemical engineering and/or chemistry curricula, but that are commonly encountered in industry. In this project we will develop novel hands-on chemical engineering experiments by examining the manufacturing process steps. Each step will be a laboratory module. These modules will be integrated throughout the chemical engineering curriculum. The manufacturing steps range in complexity from fundamental engineering and science principles shown in gravity decantation of immiscible liquids to more complex principles required to describe filtration theory and identification of compounds using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy.