FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION OF GERANIOL FROM Cymbopogon martinii ESSENTIAL OIL
Original scientific paper
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2298/CICEQ251210007LKeywords:
geraniol, vacuum fractional distillation, palmarosa essential oil, Cymbopogon martiniiAbstract
Vacuum fractional distillation was applied to isolate geraniol from raw Cymbopogon martinii essential oil. Due to the close boiling points of geraniol and geranyl acetate under reduced pressure, complete separation of geranyl acetate was not achievable. However, the presence of geranyl acetate did not diminish the value of the fractionated oil owing to its pleasant aroma. To optimize the distillation process, three key parameters - packing type, column height, and operating pressure - were systematically investigated. The obtained fractions were evaluated based on yield, purity, recovery, and GC-MS analysis. Under optimal conditions, geraniol content reached 71.35% with a recovery rate of 71.50%, while the combined content of geraniol and geranyl acetate attained 93.67%. This study provided valuable insights into optimizing vacuum fractional distillation for isolating geraniol-rich fractions from palmarosa essential oil, improving product quality while minimizing thermal degradation. The findings contribute to the advancement of extraction technologies for bioactive compounds, with potential applications in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and aromatherapy industries.
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