Evaluation of Clean Technologies for the Extraction of Citrus Essential Oils

Resumen

Peru is a country with vast biodiversity, significant citrus crops, and abundant citrus peel waste, which poses a challenge in terms of its use through essential oil extraction methods that minimize costs and are more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable. In this study, two essential oil extraction technologies (traditional steam distillation and the Clevenger method) were compared in orange, tangerine, and tangelo peels with the aim of evaluating performance and finding the optimal parameters for the process. Different controlled tests were carried out with the two methods, measuring the volume of oil obtained, and a difference in the yield of the methods was found. The Clevenger method showed a 6.08% higher yield than the classic method (0.24%) in oranges, with similar trends observed in tangerines and tangelos. Consequently, it has been confirmed that the Clevenger method is more efficient for extracting essential oil from citrus waste, which represents an opportunity for industries with growth potential such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food due to its greater efficiency and sustainability.