With the growing demand for natural fragrances, extraction methods for plant aromatic compounds have been continuously improved. Traditional techniques, such as steam distillation and solvent extraction, can produce high-purity essential oils but have significant drawbacks. Steam distillation may degrade heat-sensitive aroma compounds, while solvent extraction risks leaving toxic residues. To overcome these issues, supercritical CO2 extraction has become a widely adopted method for producing high-quality plant essential oils.
Sandalwood is a valuable natural fragrance source, rich in key aromatic compounds such as coumarin and β-santalol. Studying the supercritical CO2 extraction process for sandalwood essential oil provides valuable practical experience and theoretical support for achieving high-efficiency, high-purity extraction.
1. Principle of Supercritical CO2 Extraction
Supercritical CO2 extraction involves compressing carbon dioxide above its critical temperature and pressure, transforming it into a dense fluid with high solubility and diffusivity. This allows selective extraction of target compounds. By adjusting temperature and pressure, the solubility of CO2 can be fine-tuned, enabling precise control over the extraction performance.
2. Experimental Method
The experimental process for supercritical CO2 extraction of sandalwood oil included:
- Grinding and sieving – Sandalwood was milled into fine powder and sieved through a 12-mesh screen to remove large particles, ensuring uniform raw material size.
- Supercritical CO2 extraction – The powdered sandalwood was placed into the extractor, where CO2 was introduced under controlled temperature and pressure. Extraction time was adjusted based on process requirements.
- Precipitation and separation – The extracted mixture was allowed to settle, then separated using a rotary evaporator to obtain pure sandalwood essential oil.
3. Results and Analysis
Laboratory tests determined the optimal extraction conditions as 40°C, 35 MPa, and 60 minutes. Under these parameters, the oil yield reached 0.85%, with purity as high as 98.5%.
4. Conclusion and Outlook
Supercritical CO2 extraction is an efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective technology for extracting plant essential oils. Under optimized conditions, it can produce high-yield, high-purity sandalwood oil. Future research will focus on refining the process for large-scale production, further improving extraction efficiency and product quality, and contributing to the advancement of sustainable natural fragrance extraction.
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