How can i separate oil from alcohol?

i extracted oil from hibiscus plant by soaking its flowers in alcohol. the alcohol absorbed the oil. i need a way to attain the oil from the solution. i was thinking if distillation is useful. please give suggestions.:)
How can i separate oil from alcohol?
Distillation is indeed the method of choice to get rid of the alcohol. If you don't mind losses of your extract, use a rotational evaporator, a water bath at about 70°, and a slight vacuum.



If you mind losses, use a small laboratory column, a Liebig cooler and a "spider" with several bulbs to switch to, and control the distillate temperature, since there might be components boiling at a temperature below 78°C. You can use a water bath for heating the mixture.



Most of the alcohol ought to separate between 78 and 81°C, but may still contain some of the aromatic components of the oil. In case of doubt, re-distill that fraction.



The higher-boiling oil remaining may still contain some alcohol. To get rid of that, you might want to use a rotational evaporator at water-flow vacuum, or redistill over the column.





If you only want to separate out the lipophile components, you can mix the extract with cold salt water and use a separation funnel. Most alcohol will dissolve in the water. Some polar compounds of the extract might, too.
Reply:distillation is a good idea. However, it depends on the boiling points of the two substances. You want to choose a temp that is above one boiling point and below the other, and make sure you know if you are distilling the alcohol or the oil.



you could also try extraction, depending on if there is enough. if the two substances have different densities then if you let it settle, one will go to the bottom and the other will go to the top. there is usually an boundary you can see even if both are clear liquids. but again, just make sure you know which substance is which. the one with the heavier density will be at the bottom.
Reply:distillation is the best way especially fractional ditillation because oil and alcohol have different boiling points. alcohol boils first and the vapuor is collected and condensed to get it back to liquid form. the residue liquid is oil.