Chemistry: Separating mixtures assesement

[warwick$$]

I am 15 years old and doing chemistry as an elective at school. I have an assessment which ask me to "Describe the industrial separation of a mixture to obtain useful chemicals" I have to be able to demonstrate the separation in class.

It obviously cannot involve dangerous chemicals, as I am still in school.

I have thought doing crude oil distillation or electrolysis of brine (sodium chloride + water) to create hydrogen chloride gas (then dissolved in water to get hydrochloric acid). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Borek]

Distillation of ethanol from wine - as in making brandy - sounds simple and not too difficult.

Distillation of lavender oil from lavender (although you may have a hard time finding flowers at this time of the year).

Some kind of extraction - like anisole from anise seeds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soxhlet_extractor may give you some ideas as well.

Not that I have any recipes at hand, but I am sure I have seen them on the web.