Parameter optimization in microwave-assisted distillation of frankincense essential oil

The essential oil of Boswellia species is extracted by the conventional method of hydrodistillation (HD). In this study, we aimed to compare this reference to microwave-assisted distillation (MAD) at different power densities. The results showed that microwave extraction can result in a substantial reduction (48 min against 180 min for reference) of the batch time when the power density of 2 W/g is applied. Also, the energy consumed by the new process is 2.7 times less than HD. The essential oil produced by MAD has a chemical composition different from that of reference treatment. Although microwave treatment increased the proportions of the main components (α-thujene and α-pinene), the opposite tendency was observed for o-cymene, estragole, methyl eugenol, and δ-guaiene. A 26.5% decrease in oil extracted by MAD at 1 W/g is required to achieve 50% inhibition of the DPPH radical compared to HD. In conclusion, MAD is a promising technology for producing olibanum oil with new qualitative attributes.     

Water as a green solvent combined with different techniques for extraction of essential oil from lavender flowers

Using water as a green solvent with a variable geometry makes use of physical and chemical phenomena that are fundamentally different from those applied in conventional extraction techniques such as hydro-distillation, steam distillation or solvent extraction. Advantages and drawbacks of using water as a solvent with different physical and chemical states have been compared. A total of ten extraction techniques: hydro-distillation (HD), steam distillation (SD), turbo-hydro-distillation (THD), salt-hydro-distillation (NaCL-HD), enzyme-hydro-distillation (Enzyme-HD), micelle-hydro-distillation (Micelle-HD), ultrasound-hydro-distillation (US-HD) or subcritical water-hydro-distillation (SW-HD), solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and microwave steam distillation (MSD) were used to extract the essential oil from lavender (Lavandula L.) and their results were compared. The quantity was measured by the yield of essential oil and the quality was evaluated using the oil composition especially the content of linalyl acetate, linalool and terpin-4-ol compared with the corresponding control sample: Hydro-distillation. For environmentally friendly of the process: extraction time, total energy consumption and CO₂ emission were considered and compared with conventional hydro-distillation. The mechanism explaining the linalyl acetate degradation has been resolved by using COSMO-RS software. Based on the present experimental conditions, it is recommended that lavender oil may be produced preferably by steam distillation assisted by microwave extraction to reduce the by-product formation by various chemical reactions and to get better oil recoveries.     

Microwave accelerated steam distillation of essential oil from lavender: A rapid, clean and environmentally friendly approach

A new process design and operation for microwave accelerated steam distillation (MASD) of essential oils was developed. A packed bed of lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Lamiaceae) sits above the steam source generated by microwave heating. Only steam passes through it without the boiling water mixing with vegetable raw material, as is the case in hydro-distillation. MASD has been compared with a conventional technique, steam distillation (SD), for the extraction of essential oil from lavender flowers. Extraction of essential oils from lavender with MASD was better than SD in terms of energy saving, rapidity (10 min versus 90 min), product yield, cleanliness and product quality.     

Solvent-free microwave extraction of essential oil from aromatic herbs: comparison with conventional hydro-distillation

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) is a combination of microwave heating and dry distillation, performed at atmospheric pressure without added any solvent or water. Isolation and concentration of volatile compounds are performed by a single stage. SFME has been compared with a conventional technique, hydro-distillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from three aromatic herbs: basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), garden mint (Mentha crispa L.), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.). The essential oils extracted by SFME for 30min were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by conventional hydro-distillation for 4.5 h. The SFME method yields an essential oil with higher amounts of more valuable oxygenated compounds, and allows substantial savings of costs, in terms of time, energy and plant material. SFME is a green technology and appears as a good alternative for the extraction of essential oils from aromatic plants.     

“In situ” extraction of essential oils by use of Dean–Stark glassware and a Vigreux column inside a microwave oven: a procedure for teaching green analytical chemistry

One of the principal objectives of sustainable and green processing development remains the dissemination and teaching of green chemistry in colleges, high schools, and academic laboratories. This paper describes simple glassware that illustrates the phenomenon of extraction in a conventional microwave oven as energy source and a process for green analytical chemistry. Simple glassware comprising a Dean-Stark apparatus (for extraction of aromatic plant material and recovery of essential oils and distilled water) and a Vigreux column (as an air-cooled condenser inside the microwave oven) was designed as an in-situ extraction vessel inside a microwave oven. The efficiency of this experiment was validated for extraction of essential oils from 30 g fresh orange peel, a by-product in the production of orange juice. Every laboratory throughout the world can use this equipment. The microwave power is 100 W and the irradiation time 15 min. The method is performed at atmospheric pressure without added solvent or water and furnishes essential oils similar to those obtained by conventional hydro or steam distillation. By use of GC-MS, 22 compounds in orange peel were separated and identified; the main compounds were limonene (72.1%), β-pinene (8.4%), and γ-terpinene (6.9%). This procedure is appropriate for the teaching laboratory, does not require any special microwave equipment, and enables the students to learn the skills of extraction, and chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis. They are also exposed to a dramatic visual example of rapid, sustainable, and green extraction of an essential oil, and are introduced to successful sustainable and green analytical chemistry.     

Improved solvent-free microwave extraction of essential oil from dried Cuminum cyminum L. and Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) is a recently developed green technique which is performed in atmospheric conditions without adding any solvent or water. SFME has already been applied to extraction of essential oil from fresh plant materials or dried materials prior moistened. The essential oil is evaporated by the in situ water in the plant materials. In this paper, it was observed that an improved SFME, in which a kind of microwave absorption solid medium, such as carbonyl iron powders (CIP), was added and mixed with the sample, can be applied to extraction of essential oil from the dried plant materials without any pretreatment. Because the microwave absorption capacity of CIP is much better than that of water, the extraction time while using the improved SFME is no more than 30 min using a microwave power of 85 W. Compared to the conventional SFME, the advantages of improved SFME were to speed up the extraction rate and need no pretreatment. Improved SFME has been compared with conventional SFME, microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) and conventional hydrodistillation (HD) for the extraction of essential oil from dried Cuminum cyminum L. and Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. By using GC-MS system the compositions of essential oil extracted by applying four kinds of extraction methods were identified. There was no obvious difference in the quality of essential oils obtained by the four kinds of extraction methods.     

A comparison between different techniques for the isolation of rosemary essential oil

Traditional hydrodistillation (HD), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), organic solvent extraction (SE), and water microwave assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD) techniques were compared and evaluated for their effectiveness in the isolation of rosemary essential oil. The microwave assisted hydrodistillation technique was optimized in terms of both delivered power and time duration. The extracts/distillates were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Microwave distillation, which exploits the physical action of microwaves on plants, showed a series of advantages over the other approaches: low cost, use of water in sample pre-treatment step, greatly reduced isolation time, and attainment of high quality essential oil distillate. Moreover, the absence of environmental impact of this innovative technique was also emphasized.     

Comparison between the conventional method of extraction of essential oil of Laurus nobilis L. and a novel method which uses microwaves applied in situ, without resorting to an oven

A novel microwave method has been applied to the hydrothermal extraction of essential oil from plants. An insulated microwave coaxial antenna was introduced inside a 1000 ml glass flask containing dry Laurus nobilis L. leaves and tap water. Microwave power up to 800 W at 2450 MHz was emitted in continuous wave regime (CW) or in pulsed regime (PR) at 8 kW peak power. Stirring with a magnetic bar and a Clevenger refrigerator connected to the flask enabled to complete the extraction in 1 h. The results of the in situ microwave extraction were compared with those obtained by heating the same reactor with a conventional electric mantle by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Differences were observed both in the composition of the essential oil and from the energetic point of view. The essential oil obtained with microwave (MW) methods contained substantially higher amounts of oxygenated compounds and lower amounts of monoterpenes than conventional method. The in situ microwave heating is safe and versatile; it presents time and energy saving advantages, and therefore it can be considered useful also for industrial applications.     

Rapid Extraction and Analysis of Essential Oil from Cinnamomum Cassia Presl.

An improved solvent-free microwave extraction（ISFME） was used for the extraction of essential oil from dried Cinnamomum cassia Presl. Two kinds of solid microwave absorption media[carbonyl iron powder（CIP） and graphite powder（GP）] were used. When ISFME was applied, the heating rate was enhanced and the extraction time was obviously shorter than that consumed in conventional solvent-free microwave extraction（CSFME）. Twenty-eight kinds of compounds in the essential oil were identified, and the total content fractions of the compounds obtained by CIP-ISFME, GP-ISFME, CSFME, and hydrodistillation（HD） were 96.65%, 96.06%, 97.22%, and 96.29%, respectively. The compounds in the essential oil obtained from Cinnamomum cassia Presl. by ISFME, CSFME, and HD were compared and the quantity of the essential oil was almost the same. The ISFME has been proved to be a feasible way to extract essential oil from dried samples, and there are several obvious advantages in ISFME over those of HD and CSFME, for example, shorter extraction time（30 min） and lower energy consumption.     

A surprising method for green extraction of essential oil from dry spices: Microwave dry-diffusion and gravity

Without adding any solvent or water, we proposed a novel and green approach for the extraction of secondary metabolites from dried plant materials. This "solvent, water and vapor free" approach based on a simple principle involves the application of microwave irradiation and earth gravity to extract the essential oil from dried caraway seeds. Microwave dry-diffusion and gravity (MDG) has been compared with a conventional technique, hydrodistillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from dried caraway seeds. Essential oils isolated by MDG were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by HD, but MDG was better than HD in terms of rapidity (45min versus 300min), energy saving, and cleanliness. The present apparatus permits fast and efficient extraction, reduces waste, avoids water and solvent consumption, and allows substantial energy savings.     

Non-polar Solvent Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Volatile Constituents from Dried Zingiber Officinale Rosc.

A new method, non-polar solvent microwave-assisted extraction （NPSMAE）, was applied to the extraction of essential oil from Zingiber officinale Rosc. in closed-vessel system. By adding microwave absorption mediumcarbonyl iron powders （CIP） into extraction system, the essential oil was extracted by the non-polar solvent （ether） which can be heated by CIP. The constituents of essential oil obtained by NPSMAE were comparable with those obtained by hydrodistillation （HD） by GC-MS analysis, which indicates that NPSMAE is a feasible way to extract essential oil from dried plant materials. The NPSMAE took much less extraction time （5 min） than HD （180 min）, and its extraction efficiency was much higher than that of conventional polar solvent microwave-assisted extraction （PSMAE） and mixed solvent microwave-assisted extraction （MSMAE）. It can be a good alternative for the extraction of volatile constituents from dried plant samples.     

改进的微波辅助无溶剂法提取薄荷和陈皮中的挥发油组分

An improved solvent free microwave extraction, in which a kind of microwave absorption medium （carbonyl iron powder） was used, was applied to the extraction of essential oil from dried menthol mint and orange peel without addition of any solvent and pretreatment. It took much less time of extraction （30 min） than microwave-assisted hydrodistillation （90 min） and conventional hydrodistillation （180 min）. The kinds of chemical compositions in essential oil extracted by different methods were almost the same and such improved solvent free microwave extraction can be a feasible way in extraction of essential oil from dried plant materials.     

Antimicrobial activity and a comparative essential oil analysis of Centaurea pulcherrima Willd. var. pulcherrima extracted by hydrodistillation and microwave distillation

The essential oils of Centaurea pulcherrima Willd. var. pulcherrima (Asteraceae) were isolated by hydrodistillation (HD) and a microwave distillation (MD), than characterised by GC-FID and GC-MS. A total of 58 and 57 compounds were identified, constituting over 93.7%, and 91.6% of volatile oil composition of C. pulcherrima var. pulcherrima, respectively. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were shown to be the main group of constituents (HD: 42.4% versus MD: 51.5%). The major component of the oils of C. pulcherrima var. pulcherrima was germacrene D (HD, 17.8% versus MD, 23.2%). The antimicrobial activity of the isolated essential oils of the plant was also investigated, and they showed good antibacterial activity against to tested gram-positive bacteria, especially to M. smegmatis and a yeast-like fungus C. albicans.     

Rapid analysis of the essential oil components of dried Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim by Fe2O3‐magnetic‐microsphere‐assisted microwave distillation and simultaneous headspace single‐drop microextraction followed by GC–MS

In this work, microwave distillation assisted by Fe₂O₃ magnetic microspheres (FMMS) and headspace single‐drop microextraction were combined, and developed for determination of essential oil compounds in dried Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZBM). The FMMS were used as microwave absorption solid medium for dry distillation of dried ZBM. Using the proposed method, isolation, extraction, and concentration of essential oil compounds can be carried out in a single step. The experimental parameters including extraction solvent, solvent volume, microwave power, irradiation time, and the amount of added FMMS, were studied. The optimal analytical conditions were: 2.0 μL decane as the extraction solvent, microwave power of 300 W, irradiation time of 2 min, and the addition of 0.1 g FMMS to ZBM. The method precision was from 4 to 10%. A total of 52 compounds were identified by the proposed method. The conventional steam distillation method was also used for the analysis of essential oil in dried ZBM and only 31 compounds were identified by steam distillation method. It was found that the proposed method is a simple, rapid, reliable, and solvent‐free technique for the determination of volatile compounds in Chinese herbs.     

Antibacterial activities of essential oils extracted from leaves of Murraya koenigii by solvent-free microwave extraction and hydro-distillation

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) for the isolation of essential oil from leaves of Murraya koenigii L. (Rutaceae) has been compared with the conventional hydro-distilled oil (HD) in terms of yield, composition, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial activity against Listeria innocua. The yield of essential oil obtained from 30 min of SFME was similar to that of HD for 180 min. By GC-MS analysis, the major compounds of the essential oil extracted by SFME, which were obtained in somewhat lower amounts than in the essential oil obtained by HD, were alpha-copaene (44.3%), beta-gurjunene (25.5%), isocaryophyllene (12.1%), beta-caryophyllene (8.7%) and germacrene D (2.9%). The content of oxygenated terpenes, slightly higher for the SFME-essential oil (2.3%) than the HD-essential oil (1.4%), were much lower than that of nonoxygenated terpenes in both oils. DPPH radical scavenging activities of both essential oils were relatively low (10%-24%). Complete inhibition of growth of L. innocua was observed with both SFME and HD essential oils, at 400 and 600 microg/mL (minimum inhibitory concentration), respectively. The SFME-essential oil at 300 microg/mL provided 92% inhibition, indicating its potential as a natural antimicrobial agent.     

Improved microwave steam distillation apparatus for isolation of essential oils. Comparison with conventional steam distillation

Steam distillation (SD) is routinely used by analysts for the isolation of essential oils from herbs, flowers and spices prior to gas chromatographic analysis. In this work, a new process design and operation for an improved microwave steam distillation (MSD) of essential oils from aromatic natural products was developed. To demonstrate its feasibility, MSD was compared with the conventional technique, SD, for the analysis of volatile compounds from dry lavender flowers (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Lamiaceae). Essential oils isolated by MSD were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by SD, but MSD was better than SD in terms of rapidity (6 min versus 30 min for lavender flowers), thereby allowing substantial savings of costs in terms of time and energy. Lavender flowers treated by MSD and SD were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Micrographs provide evidence of more rapid opening of essential oil glands treated by MSD, in contrast to conventional SD.     

Rapid determination of volatile constituents in safflower by microwave distillation and simultaneous solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

In this paper, microwave distillation and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MD-SPME/GC-MS) was developed for the analysis of essential components in safflower. Using the MD-SPME technique, the isolation, extraction and concentration of volatile compounds in safflower were carried out in only one step. Some parameters affecting the extraction efficiency such as SPME fiber coating, microwave power, irradiation time and the volume of water added were optimized. The optimal experiment parameters obtained were: 65 microm CW/DVB SPME fiber, a microwave power of 400 W, an irradiation time of 3 min and water volume of 1 mL. The proposed method has been compared with conventional steam distillation (SD) for extraction of essential oil compounds in safflower. Using MD-SPME followed by GC-MS, 32 compounds in safflower were separated and identified, which mainly included paeonol, alpha-asarone, beta-asarone, 1-methyl-4-(2-propenyl)-benzene and diethenyl-benzene, whereas only 18 compounds were separated and identified by conventional SD followed by GC-MS. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values of less than 10% show that the proposed method has good reproducibility. The results show that MD-SPME/GC-MS is a simple, rapid, effective method for the analysis of volatile oil components in safflower.     

An integrated simultaneous distillation–extraction apparatus for the extraction of essential oils from herb materials and its application in Flos Magnoliae

A large number of herb materials contain essential oils with extensive bioactivities. In this work, an integrated simultaneous distillation–extraction (ISDE) apparatus was developed. To demonstrate its feasibility, the performance of ISDE was evaluated for the extraction of essential oil from Flos Magnoliae and compared with conventional techniques including steam distillation (SD) and simultaneous distillation–extraction (SDE). According to the product yield, the time consumed and the composition of oil, the essential oils isolated by ISDE were better than that obtained by SD and similar to those obtained by SDE. ISDE was also better than SDE due to its simple operation and lower consumption of energy and organic solvent. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rapid determination of essential oil compounds in Artemisia Selengensis Turcz by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with microwave distillation and simultaneous solid-phase microextraction

In the work, for the first time, two solvent-free sample preparation techniques of microwave distillation (MD) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) were combined, and developed for determination of essential oil compounds in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Using the proposed method, isolation, extraction and concentration of TCM essential oil compounds can be carried out in a single step. To demonstrate its feasibility, MD-SPME was compared with a conventional technique, steam distillation (SD), for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of essential oil compounds in a TCM, Artemisia Selengensis Turcz. Forty-nine compounds in the TCM were separated and identified by the present method, while only 26 compounds were detected by SD method. Relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) values less than 9% show that the present method has good precision. The SD method required long time (6 h) to isolate of the essential oil, and large amount of organic solvent for further extraction, while MD-SPME needed little time (only 3 min) to prepare sample, and no organic solvent. These results show that MD-SPME-GC-MS is a simple, rapid and solvent-free method for determination of TCM essential oil.     

Effects of solvent-free microwave extraction on the chemical composition of essential oil of Calamintha nepeta (L.) Savi compared with the conventional production method

The essential oil of Calamintha nepeta has been obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and by classical hydrodistillation (HD). A comparative qualitative-quantitative study on the composition of the oils was carried out. A total of 38 compounds, constituting 97.6% of the oil, were identified in the oil obtained by SFME, whereas 46 compounds, representing 95.4% of the oil, were characterized in the HD oil. SFME-distilled oil is richer in lightly oxygenated monoterpenes (LOM) than HD oil. It also has a higher amount of sesquiterpenes and a lower quantity of hydrocarbon monoterpenes. HD oil seems to be affected by chemical changes more than SFME oil.