Abstract
Two types of columns, three types of packings, and four levels of column height were considered to investigate how column and packings affected the separation in the vacuum fractional distillation process of raw tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil (TTO). This study discussed those effects on purity, yield, and overall discovery to select the most excellent operating conditions for enriching terpinen-4-ol. After the experiments, the essential oil was successfully separated into two fractions, in which the second one composed mostly the main TTO constituent, terpinen-4-ol. The best result was achieved by conducting the distillation on a 300-mm Hempel column filled with small Fenske helices (10 mm × 2 mm i.d.) at the system pressure of 60 mmHg. GC/MS analysis showed an almost 2.5-fold increase in the content of terpinen-4-ol, from 39.23% to 95.77% after fractionation. Meanwhile, there was 75% of terpinen-4-ol successfully recovered from its parental oil. Hence, the vacuum fraction distillation could be an effective method to enrich the terpinen-4-ol content in TTO.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
