Industry 4.0 Technological Elements Applied to Steam Distillation

Abstract

The essential oil extraction industry is a stimulating target for technology updates in which yield, quality, and energy efficiency are goals to be pursued. This step forward becomes a strong ally in the search for continuous improvement of these key indicators. This work proposes the implementation of Industry 4.0 elements to detect and correct the preferential steam paths (channeling), determine the economic duration of the process, and reduce volatile element losses with efficient condensation. Partial experimental results indicate yield gains more significant than 20% and improvement in product quality indicated by the greater presence of the Citral component in the chromatographic analyses. Furthermore, the experimental results, still ongoing, demonstrate that the design of a plant with sensors, actuators, and process monitoring systems is auspicious.