Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Microwave hydrodiffusion for isolation of natural products

AdamAlden - 5-8-2016 at 02:43

The apparatus that it has seemingly claimed rights to is designed to easily remove the essential oils from plants using high vacuum and microwaves with assistance from earths gravity. They claim that this method reduces the time needed to extract materials from plants life by rupturing the cells and draining them into a collection flask (from 300 minutes to 30!). This is not a distillation apparatus but it is likely that vapors are produced and condensed during the extraction process.

This is something that has been bothering me for a long time and I hope that some of you will enjoy this. I'm sure some of you could even build. I will build one.



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Mush - 19-10-2016 at 09:03

I certainly find it interesting. This new technology can or will revolutionize natural product extaractions in the furure.

If you are interested in MW distillation as well , in the below attached thesis you can find some more details about it.

Microwave Hydro-di usion and gravity : a novel
technique for antioxidants extraction
Huma Zill-E-Huma

Agricultural sciences. Université d'Avignon
HAL Id: tel-00547428
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00547428
Submitted on 16 Dec 2010


Journal of Chromatography A
Volume 1190, Issues 1–2, 9 May 2008, Pages 14–17
Microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity, a new technique for extraction of essential oils

Abstract

A new process design and operation for the extraction of essential oils was developed. Microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) is a combination of microwaves for hydrodiffusion of essential oils from the inside to the exterior of biological material and earth gravity to collect and separate. MHG is performed at atmospheric pressure without adding any solvent or water. MHG has been compared with a conventional technique, hydrodistillation (HD), for the extraction of essential oil from two aromatic herbs: spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) and pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) belonging to the Labiatae family. The essential oils extracted by MHG for 15 min were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained by conventional hydrodistillation for 90 min. MHG also prevents pollution through potential 90% of energy saved which can lead to greenhouse gas emission benefits.

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Attachment: 10.1016@j.chroma.2008.02.086.pdf (221kB)
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