Ultrasonic following Steam-Hydro Distillation : Intensifikasi Proses pada Penyulingan Minyak Serai Wangi dengan Bantuan Gelombang Ultrasonik

The Steam-Hydro Distillation (SHD) is a commonly used method of the citronella oil processing industry. However, the yield and quality of the oil produced tends to be inconsistent, and energy consumption is quite high. The process intensification in the distillation of citronella oil using ultrasonic waves is expected to be able to increase the yield and quality of the oil produced and reduce energy requirements. This research was conducted to examine the effect of sonication operating conditions on the Ultrasonic following Steam-Hydro Distillation (US-SHD) on the yield and quality of citronella oil. In addition, a comparative analysis of the yield and quality (density) of oil between the US-SHD and the SHD was also carried out in this study. Extraction of citronella oil with the US-SHD was sonicated for 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes and used a power of 180 and 360 watts and continued with distillation for 60 minutes which also applies to the SHD. In the US-SHD, the highest yield of citronella oil was obtained during sonication for 20 minutes with 360 watts of power, which is 1,13%. Whereas in the SHD, the yield obtained is only 0,85%. The results of this study also showed that with a slight increase in energy consumption due to ultrasonic wave induction (2,15%), it was able to produce a substantial increase in citronella oil yield (31,83%) but did not significantly influence its density.