Influence of microwaves on the rate of the distillation and yield of etheric oil from the wooded greenery of conifers

• Main Authors: Marjanović-Balaban Željka, Miletić Predrag
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Association of Chemical Engineers of Serbia 2005-01-01
• Series: Hemijska Industrija
• Subjects: microwaves; distillation; etheric oil; needles
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0367-598X/2005/0367-598X0510259M.pdf

It is known that many plants represent valuable raw materials for technological processing and that there has been an increase in the use of medicinal, aromatic and spice plants as raw materials in industry. Our research was directed toward studying the rate of the distillation and yield of etheric oils from the wooded greenery of conifers (fir, spruce, pine juniper and Douglas fir) by using a new procedure. These conifers represent an important raw material basis in this area, which could be used for the industrial production of etheric oil for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry. Before distillation, the samples were treated with microwaves under laboratory conditions, and the influence of microwaves on the duration of the distillation and yield of etheric oil compared to steam distillation was analyzed. The results showed that less time was required to achieve the same yield during the distillation, if the samples were treated with microwaves, which can be a significant economic factor in the production of this etheric oil.