Simulation of Eucalyptus cinerea oil distillation: A study on optimization of 1,8-cineole production

Cineolic essential oils are used in medicinal, perfumery and flavour preparations. 1,8-Cineole, being an ecofriendly compound, has the potential to replace the ozone depleting industrial solvents. Optimized process parameters for hydrodistillation and production of essential oil enriched with 1,8-cineole from Eucalyptus cinerea grown in the mid-hills of western Himalaya, were reported. The effect of drying of the foliage prior to distillation with respect to oil composition and content was studied. The first order kinetic and Langmuir adsorption models were evaluated to simulate hydrodistillation of E. cinerea oil. The Langmuir model parameters that simulate the hydrodistillation process were determined. GCMS analysis revealed that the oil produced from fresh foliage contained higher 1,8-cineole content (84.4%) than the dried foliage (77.6%). The other major constituents were limonene and α-terpineol.