—— Full-Scale Equipment from Lab to Pilot Plant, One-Stop Empowerment for the Natural Fragrance Industry Upgrade
In today’s natural fragrance industry, where the pursuit of high purity and high quality is relentless, patchouli oil—a core ingredient in perfumery, cosmetics, and aromatherapy—is undergoing a profound transformation in its refining technology. Crude oil obtained by traditional steam distillation, characterized by dark color, high impurity content, and vulnerability of heat-sensitive components, can no longer meet the stringent demands of the high-end market for purity and aroma quality. Molecular distillation technology, with its unique advantages of low temperature, high vacuum, and short residence time, has become the ideal route for patchouli oil purification.
BOTH INSTRUMENT & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD., a technology-driven enterprise with over 19 years of deep expertise in molecular distillation, is committed to providing complete solutions from laboratory-scale trials to pilot-scale production equipment. We are not only equipment manufacturers but also enablers of process solutions—having accumulated extensive application experience in herbal oil distillation, fish oil refining, Omega-3 purification, tocopherol concentration, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) extraction, biodiesel production, and waste oil recycling. Now, we focus this technological capability on efficient purification of patchouli oil, helping customers achieve a leap in product value.
1. Who We Are: 19 Years of Deep Cultivation in Molecular Distillation Technology
BOTH INSTRUMENT & INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD. has been dedicated to the R&D and manufacturing of molecular distillation (short-path distillation) technology since its establishment. Our core team possesses over 19 years of industry experience, with a service network covering dozens of countries and regions worldwide. Whether you are exploring optimal process parameters at the laboratory stage or need to scale up to pilot or industrial production, BOTH offers matching standardized or customized equipment and delivers complete process solutions.
Our typical application areas include:
- Herbal oil distillation (e.g., refining of patchouli oil, lavender oil, wormwood oil, etc.)
- Fish oil refining (impurity removal, EPA/DHA concentration)
- Tocopherol concentration (natural vitamin E extraction and purification)
- Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) extraction
- Biodiesel production (removal of free fatty acids and impurities)
- Waste oil recycling (base oil recovery, acid value reduction)
Patchouli oil refining is one of our benchmark applications in the field of herbal oil distillation. Leveraging deep understanding of process parameters and continuous optimization of equipment design, BOTH has become a trusted technology partner for many natural fragrance enterprises.
2. What We Can Do: Complete Technological Path from Raw Material to High-Purity Patchouli Oil
What we provide is not just equipment, but a validated complete process flow for extracting patchouli oil via molecular distillation. This flow starts with obtaining crude oil by traditional steam distillation (or solvent extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction), followed by deep refining through molecular distillation to finally achieve high-purity, high-aroma-quality finished product.
2.1 Step 1: Preparation of Crude Patchouli Oil (Steam Distillation)
- Raw material pretreatment: Patchouli leaves and stems are stacked for fermentation for about 3 days, then chopped to 30–50 mm.
- Steam distillation: Distillation time about 8 hours, oil yield 2%–2.5%, crude oil collected.
- Initial drying: Use anhydrous sodium sulfate to remove moisture, obtaining dark brown crude oil.
2.2 Step 2: Molecular Distillation Refining (BOTH Core Process)
We employ wiped-film molecular distillation equipment (BOTH brand) operating under high vacuum (≤0.1–1.0 Pa). The specific operation steps are as follows:
| Step | Operation | Typical Parameter Range |
| 1. System preparation | Check sealing, pre-evacuate to working pressure | Vacuum: ≤0.5 Pa |
| 2. Parameter setting | Set evaporation temperature, condensation temperature, wiper speed | Evaporation temp: 65–100°C; Condensation temp: 10–20°C |
| 3. Feed & wiping | Crude oil preheated and continuously fed, wiper forms uniform liquid film | Feed rate: 2–10 mL/min (lab); Wiper speed: 300–600 RPM |
| 4. Light fraction separation | Low-boiling components (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, etc.) evaporate and condense | Fraction I (light fraction) |
| 5. Heavy fraction collection | High-boiling target compounds (patchouli alcohol, pogostone) flow down the wall | Fraction II (heavy fraction, i.e., refined patchouli oil) |
| 6. Multi-stage distillation (optional) | Heavy fraction enters molecular distillation again to further increase purity | Patchouli alcohol content can reach >50% after second distillation |
2.3 Step 3: Finished Product Quality Control
After treatment with BOTH molecular distillation equipment, the patchouli oil exhibits the following characteristics:
- Appearance: Changes from dark brown to light yellow or even colorless and transparent.
- Aroma: Removes off-odors and burnt notes, resulting in purer, mellower, longer-lasting fragrance.
- Core components: Patchouli alcohol and pogostone content increased by 27%–47% compared to crude oil; patchouli alcohol content can reach 50%–62% (depending on process).
- Safety: Effectively removes certain pesticide residues and heavy metals, meeting international fragrance standards.
3. Core Advantages of Molecular Distillation for Patchouli Oil Extraction
Compared with traditional steam distillation or ordinary vacuum distillation, BOTH molecular distillation technology offers irreplaceable advantages in patchouli oil refining:
（1）Low temperature protects heat sensitive components: Evaporation temperature far below atmospheric boiling point, avoiding thermal degradation of active ingredients like patchouli alcohol.
（2）High vacuum ensures high purity: Operating pressure as low as 0.1 Pa, greatly reducing boiling points and enabling gentle separation.
（3）short residence time: Liquid film stays on the heated surface for only seconds to tens of seconds, reducing side reactions.
（4）Significant decolorization and impurity removal: A single distillation remarkably improves oil color and odor.
（5）Continuous operation, easy to scale up: From lab to pilot production, equipment structure is consistent, and process parameters are linearly scalable.
4. Market Prospects: Surging Demand for High-Purity Patchouli Oil
According to industry data, the global patchouli oil market size is expected to grow from approximately USD 80 million in 2025 to USD 101 million by 2033, at a CAGR of about 3%–4.8%. The primary driver is the demand for natural, pure, long lasting fixatives in the high end perfume market. Patchouli oil refined by molecular distillation, due to its pure aroma, stable chemical composition, and light color, can be directly used in high end fragrances, skincare products, and functional cosmetics, with added product value 50%–100% higher than ordinary crude oil.
Moreover, as consumers increasingly prefer “clean label” and natural ingredients, physical separation via molecular distillation is becoming a compliant and sustainable alternative. BOTH’s molecular distillation equipment enables producers to quickly respond to market trends and produce high quality patchouli oil meeting international standards at low operating costs.
5. Why Choose BOTH
- 19+ years of technology accumulation: Served dozens of industries including herbal oils, fish oil, biodiesel, etc., with rich experience.
- Full scale equipment: Provides laboratory scale (0.1–5 kg/h), pilot scale (5–50 kg/h), and industrial scale equipment.
- One stop solution: Full support from process development, equipment selection, installation and commissioning, to operation training, delivered as a Turnkey Solution Provider.
- Global service: BOTH molecular distillation solutions have been deployed in Europe, Southeast Asia, the Americas, and beyond.
6. Act Now: Get Your Patchouli Oil Purification Solution
If you are looking for a technology solution that can significantly enhance patchouli oil quality, reduce production costs, and meet high end market access requirements, BOTH is your ideal partner. We offer:
- Free process consultation and preliminary feasibility assessment
- Laboratory feed testing (by appointment)
- Customized pilot scale equipment procurement plans
7. More Solutions: BOTH Molecular Distillation Technology Covers Multi Industry Purification Needs
Beyond patchouli oil refining, BOTH, together with Turnkey Solution Provider, has mature full set molecular distillation solutions for the application areas mentioned earlier (herbal oil distillation, fish oil refining, Omega 3 purification, tocopherol concentration, MCT extraction, biodiesel production, waste oil recycling, etc.). Whether you need to purify any heat sensitive material—from natural plant essential oils to industrial oils, from high value active ingredients to waste oil valorization—our engineering team can quickly develop the optimal process route and equipment configuration based on your material characteristics and target purity.
Customers in need are welcome to contact us at any time for technical proposals or to arrange feed testing.
Post time: May-21-2026
