Modeling the extraction process of pomelo (citrus maxima (burm.) Merr.) Peel essential oil by steam distillation on a production scale (500kg/batch)

Abstract

The development of larger-scale extraction processes depends on process kinetics. A production scale of around 500 kg/batch was used in this study to experimentally extract pomelo essential oil by steam distillation. In this study, three models including Model of simultaneous washing and diffusion, Model of instantaneous washing followed by diffusion, and Model of diffusion without washing are considered for evaluation. The most appropriate kinetic model kinetics were chosen using the coefficient of determination (R2) and percentage of variance (%q). The findings demonstrate that the analyzed model of concurrent washing and diffusion suited the experimental data. The results show that in this model, the value of R2 = 0.99795 and q = 0.89285 ± 0.0061, which has the highest value of the three models. The extraction process through this production system was successfully described using a kinetic model, which gave information on the extraction process.