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New Essential oil distillation system Design and construction- Year 1

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  2017 ASABE Annual International Meeting  1700109.(doi:10.13031/aim.201700109)
Authors:   Scott A Sanford, David R Bohnhoff
Keywords:   Distillation, Energy, Essential oil plants, Mint

Abstract. Mint oil is used for flavorings in many food and hygiene products. The batch process currently used for extracting mint oil is very energy intensive. This project is developing a continuous-flow steam distillation system that should require less energy per pound of oil recovered compared to the current method. In 2016 a prototype distillation unit was design and tested during the July-August harvest season in south central. The distillation unit uses a covered tough with a ribbon auger to mix and translate the mint hay through the unit. Steam is injected in the bottom of the tough and the oil/steam mixture is routed to a standard industry condenser. Year 1 exposed some weaknesses of our design but most were overcome quickly. Based on residual extraction testing we had an extraction percentage up to 82 percent.

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