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Hello chemical engineering and food engineering students!

Do you know about process of refining essential oils? For those who are not familiar with process of refining essential oils, you can read this article to enhance your knowledge about process of refining essential oils. Is it really important? Of course,The important matter of this is we must consistently improve our knowledge of chemical engineering.

In nature there is no pure element or compound, there must be other elements or compounds in a material found in nature. For example, in extracting materials for making oil from natural gas, the components that make up natural gas are found to consist of several components such as alkanes, cycloalkanes and aromatic compounds. Of course, not all components of natural gas will be used in industrial processes. Therefore, a separation process is needed to separate necessary compounds from unnecessary compounds so that the materials used have a high level of purity so that they can produce better products and reduce unwanted by-products from the production process. 

The separation process is a method or method for separating one or more components of a mixture into purer components. This process can be applied in various fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics and industry and one example of a separation process is distillation. Distillation is the separation of the components of a mixture of two or more types of liquid based on the difference in vapor point. In the extraction process, a component is separated into smaller components, in the refining process the extraction occurs when the solid or liquid components of two or more mixtures are separated based on their boiling point. Distillation is a special method for separating temperature-sensitive materials such as organic aromatic compounds. This method uses the principle that the total pressure of an insoluble mixture is the sum of the vapor pressures of its individual components.

Figure 1. Distillation tower in industry

The distillation process is used to produce various products, one of which is essential oil. Essential oils are oils produced from certain plant tissues, such as roots, stems, bark, flowers, leaves, seeds and rhizomes. This oil evaporates easily at room temperature (250 C) without decomposition and has a fragrant smell according to the plant that produces it, and is generally soluble in organic solvents but not in water. Essential oils are usually used as a mixture of raw materials in the cosmetics, soap and detergent industries and food and beverage products and many other products.

Picture 2. An example of one type of essential oil

Essential oils or essential oils are compounds extracted from plant parts and obtained through a distillation process. Extracted plant parts can include flower petals, leaves, bark, seeds and roots. It can be used as a raw material in various industries, such as making cosmetics, perfume, antiseptics and medicines, for example patchouli oil. 

Indonesia is the largest producer of patchouli oil in the world, which annually supplies around 75% of world demand. Of that amount, 60% is produced in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and the rest comes from North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Central Java. The essential oil agroindustry is one industry that should be considered for development considering that Indonesia has advantages in procuring raw materials in addition to its processing technology which is quite simple so it is easy to develop. Patchouli oil indirectly develops the essential oil industry which has a multiplier effect in the form of improving the welfare of farmers. Patchouli has long been known as an export commodity, and Patchouli oil from Indonesia is known by the name (Pogostemon cablin Benth). Apart from that, the component that most determines the quality of patchouli oil is patchouli alcohol, the content of which is not less than 30%. Patchouli essential oil (Pogostemon cablin Benth), is obtained through a distillation process from the leaves or stems of the patchouli plant and this oil has a soft and subtle aroma. Patchouli oil is widely used to make perfume, cosmetics, perfume for soap and medicine, as well as an insect repellent and deterrent. 

Figure 3. Patchouli plant

The process of refining essential oils begins with collecting raw materials, such as dry and clean leaves or stems of plants (ginger, patchouli, lemongrass). The distillation equipment used includes a distilling kettle with a condenser and simple equipment such as basins and glass pipettes. Steam is used to separate components in raw materials based on their vapor point, with varying vapor pressure and distillation time. After distillation, the oil and water mixture is separated, and the essential oil is purified using ingredients such as bentonite and Na2SO4. The quality of the essential oil is then analyzed according to the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) by considering parameters such as yield, specific gravity, refractive index and acid number.

Essential oil processing can be carried out by small industries to large industries. These two industries have different ways of processing essential oils. Most small industries in Indonesia can only use the distillation method, while large industries can use the fractionation or separation method. The quality of the products produced from these two methods is different. Buyers mostly prefer essential oils that are processed traditionally using the distillation method rather than fractionation because essential oils from the distillation process have a more distinctive odor.

Indonesia is a country rich in essential oil raw materials such as lemongrass, cloves, eucalyptus and ginger. Behind the natural wealth that Indonesia has, Indonesia also has weaknesses in the field of technology. Indonesia has not been able to create a tool capable of producing essential oils with a large capacity while maintaining its quality. This shortage can be a demand for all of us as engineers. We must be able to create the tools that essential oil producers need. Processing essential oils is a potential business opportunity, especially patchouli essential oil with a fairly high oil price, namely between IDR 800,000 per kilogram for 2024. The price of essential oils depends on the quality of the oil and the Patchouli alcohol content in the patchouli oil, the higher the Patchouli alcohol content, the higher the Patchouli alcohol content. the price of oil will become more expensive. 

The separation process is a crucial step in various industries, including the processing of natural materials. The basic principle of separation is to separate the different components in a mixture based on their unique physical or chemical properties. Distillation is one of the most commonly used separation methods, especially for separating liquids based on their boiling point differences. In the context of patchouli essential oil, the distillation process plays an important role in extracting the fragrant oil contained in the patchouli plant. This essential oil has high economic value and is widely used in various industries, such as cosmetics, perfume and medicine.

It is crucial for chemical engineering and food engineering students to stay informed and up-to-date on topics such as process of refining essential oils, as this knowledge is vital for their understanding of the chemical industry. By doing so, they can expand their knowledge base and satiate their thirst for learning, ultimately enhancing their professional prospects. In conclusion, the importance of process of refining essential oils cannot be overstated, and it is essential for students to stay informed about this crucial aspect of chemical engineering.

Referensi : 

Dwi Aditya Putra. 2024. Pesona Nilam RI: 'Emas Hijau' yang Digandrungi Bvlgari. tirto.id https://tirto.id/pesona-nilam-ri-yang-mengharumkan-pasar-dunia-gWwt#:~:text=Minyak%20nilam%20adalah%20jenis%20minyak,atsiri%20yang%20dihargai%20hingga%20Rp800.000%2Fkg.

Guenther, E. 1988. The Essential Oils. Terjemahan: Ketaren. 2008. Minyak Atsiri. Jilid I. Penerbit UI Press. Jakarta. Hal : 3-10, 171-183, 286-292, 296-299.

Kementerian Perindustrian. 2018. Minyak Atsiri Indonesia dan Peluang Pengembangannya. http://bbkk.kemenperin.go.id/page/bacaartikel.php?id=OSCDT7v3kbO42NmtwHDAEGAxVG96ARtA072jn2iwylQ,#:~:text=Pengolahan%20minyak%20atsiri%20Indonesia%20pada%20umumnya%20destilasi.%20Ekstraksi%2Fisolasi,4%29%20ekstraksi%20dengan%20lemak%20dengan%20tergantung%20jenis%20tanamannya 

Ketaren, S. 1985. Pengantar Teknologi Minyak Atsiri. Penerbit Balai Pustaka. Jakarta.