UTILIZATION OF Eucalyptus pellita LEAF WASTE FOR ESSENTIAL OIL PRODUCTION

Abstract

Leaf waste from Eucalyptus pellita, generated during the management of industrial forest plantations, has the potential to be utilized as a raw material for the production of economically valuable essential oil. This study aimed to analyze the effects of distillation time and the water-to-biomass ratio on the distillation yield, as well as to evaluate the 1,8-cineole content in the resulting essential oil. Distillation was conducted using the water and steam distillation method at a temperature of approximately 100 °C, with varying durations of 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 minutes. To examine the water-to-biomass ratio, 200 g of leaves were processed using varying water volumes 800 mL, 1,000 mL, 1,200 mL, 1,400 mL, and 1,600 mL over a period of 150 minutes. The results indicate that the highest yield in terms of distillation time was achieved at 180 minutes, with a calculated cineole volume of 127.22 mL and a reported yield of 62.46%. In the experiments regarding the water-to-biomass ratio, the use of 800 mL of water resulted in a calculated cineole volume of 97.99 mL and a reported yield of 48.11%, with a 1,8-cineole content of approximately 16.35%. These findings demonstrate that distillation time and the water-to-biomass ratio are critical parameters to consider when processing Eucalyptus pellita leaves. Utilizing this leaf waste could support the diversification of non-timber forest products and enhance the value added potential of biomass from industrial forest plantations. Nevertheless, further verification of the yield based on the actual mass of the separated essential oil and the application of robust quantification methods for 1,8-cineole are necessary to ensure the validity of these results.