Kinetic Study and Optimization of Extraction Process Conditions

Optimization and advanced control of extraction processes are very important in the chemical engineering field for development of processes resulting in high yield with minimal costs of time and energy. In the present work, two extraction methods (hydrodistillation and volatile solvent extraction using a Soxhlet extractor) were performed on a medicinal plant (Marrubium vulgare L.). The influence of various operating parameters such as: (extraction temperatures, drying and grinding the plant, the solvent to solid mass ratio, the contact-time, and the nature of the solvent) on the extraction yield was studied in order to determine the operating conditions favorable to the realization of the extraction process, resulting in high yield. The optimum conditions were: the mass ratio, 3%; extraction time, 180 min; diameter of powder particles (0.1