Distillation

Hydro-distillation

Involves soaking and then boiling agarwood chips in water to separate the oil.

The process typically includes: 1) grinding the agarwood into a coarse powder, 2) soaking the powder in water, potentially for several days, and 3) distilling the mixture to separate the essential oil from the water.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

1. Preparation:

Grinding: Agarwood is typically ground into a coarse powder to increase the surface area for better extraction.

Soaking: The powdered agarwood is soaked in water, sometimes for extended periods (e.g., 10-12 days), to help release the oil.

2. Distillation:

Heating: The soaked agarwood and water mixture is heated, causing the water to boil and generate steam that carries the volatile essential oil molecules.
Condensation: The steam is then passed through a condenser, where it cools and turns back into a liquid (a mixture of water and oil).
Separation: The oil, being less dense than water, will float on top of the condensed water and can be collected.

3. Key Aspects:

Water as a medium: Water is used as the extraction medium, which helps to protect the oil from high temperatures and degradation.
Temperature control: While hydro-distillation typically involves boiling water, some methods may use reduced pressures to lower the boiling point and further protect the oil.