Fractionation of the essential oil from juniper (Juniperus ommunis L.) berries by hydrodistillation and rectification

Abstract

This paper deals with fractionation of the essential oil from juniper (Juniperus communis L.) berries by hydrodistillation (HD) and simultaneous hydrodistillation and rectification (SHDR) at atmospheric pressure. A rectification column was filled with the NORMAG packing A type and had 36 theoretical stages. In the present study, higher essential oil yield was obtained by HD (1.34 mass %) than by SHDR (1.17 mass %). However, mass fraction distributions of monoterpene hydrocarbons (MHs), oxygenated monoterpenes (OMs) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (SHs), observed for the two separation methods, differed from each other. In the SHDR process increased contents of high volatile components (predominantly MHs) were obtained in the initial fractions as well as increased contents of low volatile components (dominantly SHs) in the last fractions. Also, this method increased the separation degree of OMs.