Experimental study on solar distillation system for oil extraction from eucalyptus plant leaves

Abstract

Most of the industrial process requires a temperature level below 250?C which is easily achievable using solar energy. Pakistan is fortunate enough to have long sunlight hours and high intensity of solar insolation. The mean total irradiation falling on a horizontal plane is about 200-250 Watt per m2 per day. This precious source of natural energy has tremendous potential in the agro-based industry like the distillation of medicinal plants. The main objective of this study was to conduct a Quantitative and Qualitative analyses of solar distilled oil of the medicinal plant. Solar distillation systems had been installed at Agricultural Engineering Workshop, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology and Rosa Lab, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. This distillation system was designed according to the latitude of Faisalabad. This system comprised of primary reflector, secondary reflector, condenser, and Florentine flask. In this study Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Eucalyptus Citriodora, essential oils were distilled by solar distillation system and by a conventional distillation system for comparing the results. GC-MS analysis of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Eucalyptus Citriodora essential oils were carried out at National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad. The results of quantitative and qualitative analyses of essential oils showed that the quantity and the quality of essential oils of same species of Eucalyptus, distilled by Solar distillation system and conventional controlled distillation system were same. So, it was concluded that the quality and quantity of essential oils of same species don?t differ significantly either distilled by solar distillation system or by conventional controlled distillation system.