A Short Note on Steam Distillation

Temperature-sensitive materials are purified and isolated by considering the steam distillation procedure. Compounds of natural aroma are temperature-sensitive materials that can be purified by the steam distillation process. This distillation process is used to extract citrus oil from orange peel. Besides that, eucalyptus oil is also extracted from the eucalyptus tree by implementing a steam distillation process. The main applications of this process are found in the production of essence and instant perfumes. The volatility of a compound is integrally connected to the evaporation part of this distillation process. 

Steam Distillation Process

Steam distillation refers to the process of separation that is associated with the purification of isolated temperature-sensitive materials. The materials include natural aromatic compounds. In the process of steam distillation, dry steam is passed through the plant material. The vapour that forms is collected in the receivers through the process of condensation.

Steam distillation is used for the extraction of essential oils. Low-pressure steam is utilised in this process that aids in the replacement of the volatile compounds from the entire plant materials. The process is useful in the measurement of the temperature and steam regulation as required for specific plant materials and is effective for the extraction of essential oils.

Principles of Steam Distillation

There is a certain set of principles of steam distillation that govern the outcome of the process and its effectiveness involved. These principles include the components and their relative vapour pressure that affects the state of the products involved in this distillation 

• The mixture of immiscible liquid is considered in this process like water and other organic compounds, which when heated or excited, generates their identical vapour pressure, which is irrespective of the other.
• The Vapour pressure of the system involving the two components thus increases over time. This enables the process of evaporation of the elements involved in the experiment, which have high boiling points at very low temperatures. This process of evaporation is conducted by simply enabling the components involved to form a mixture with water.
• Atmospheric pressure is an important component of the conduction of this process of distillation.  The two components that generate their identical vapour pressure over time reach the barrier of atmospheric pressure. Once the threshold of atmospheric pressure is crossed, the two separate liquids involved in this distillation start to boil.

Steam Distillation Diagram

Steam distillation is the process by which essential oils can be extracted out of the designated plant materials taken into consideration in this separation process. The experiment is conducted under special conditions involving several apparatus that are useful for the propagation and flow of the vapour. The process outlined below is portrayed through a steam distillation diagram.

• The apparatus consists of holes in the bottom that enables the flow of the steam through fresh and dried herbs taken for the experiment.
• A lid is taken for this experimental equipment that inhibits diffusion of the oils as derived from the plant materials. The lid protects the oil from getting mixed into thin air as continuous steam is applied through the apparatus.
• The evaporated mixture of steam and organic compounds of the experiment is passed through a utensil that contains cold water. The evaporated mixture is thus passed through a container that contains cold water on one end, and this is passed through hot water from the other end, which enables the process of condensation for the mixture.
• Furthermore, at the end of the process of this steam distillation, the oil and water droplets can be collected which undergo condensation during the experiment.

An important traditional method used to isolate significant volatiles from plants is considered the steam distillation process. The Hydro-fusion technique is associated with this distillation process that is used to isolate essential oils from rose petals and lavender also. In terms of having plenty of plant materials, the steam distillation process is a suitable and helpful method of distillation. 

Conclusion

The steam distillation process is found to be used for several years to extract natural components. This is a mostly regarded separation process, used for industrial purposes. Besides that, almost all inorganic compounds are removed from the metals by considering this distillation procedure. The steam distillation process is important for generating organic products that are solvent-free. This process is less expensive than the normal distillation process.