Essential Oil Distillation Handbook: Evolution, Theory, Practice, Chemistry and Applications is a practical guide to distilling, covering plants and their volatile compounds, the essential oil industry, aromatic plant distillation theory and application, aromatic materials and conservation issues, post-distillation practices, and marketing opportunities. Sections cover the metabolism and role of volatile compounds found in aromatic plants, their chemistry, their interactions with the human olfactory system, as well as the history of the human use of aromatic plants and distillation. Finally, the book provides practical numerical tables on vapor pressure and boiling points that are of practical value for the operative distiller.
Additional chapters cover distillation, from the theory of its various declinations and varieties, the machinery and components needed, and the practice of distillation with many examples from the authors' direct experience. The book also explores innovative techniques in distillation and solvent extraction, the post-distillation practices, the main aromatic plants, and includes a chapter on the pharmacological applications of essential oils.
- Covers how the macroscopic and microscopic features of plant materials influence the dynamics of distillation
- Provides explanations of the physics and chemistry of distillation
- Offers numerical tables on vapor pressure and boiling points
