Training – Hydrodistillation of Oud Essential Oil

Training Module Outline for the Hydrodistillation of Agarwood Essential Oil, suitable for field technicians, farmers, or processing unit operators:

Training Module: Hydrodistillation of Agarwood Essential Oil

Duration: 1 day (6 hours total) — with lectures, demonstration, and hands-on practice.

Module Components

Module 1. Introduction to Agarwood & Essential Oil Extraction (Duration: 30 mins)

  • What is agarwood?
  • The science of oleoresin production
  • Why extract essential oil?
  • Market value & applications (perfumery, traditional medicine, cosmetics)

Module 2. Overview of Extraction Methods (Duration: 30 mins)

  • Steam distillation vs. hydrodistillation
  • Pros and cons
  • Why hydrodistillation is preferred for agarwood

Module 3. Hydrodistillation Equipment and Setup (Duration: 45 mins)

  • Key components:
    • Distillation still/pot
    • Condenser
    • Separator (Florentine flask or oil-water separator)
    • Biomass burner or electric heating system
  • Setup diagram and safety measures

Module 4. Raw Material Preparation (Duration: 45 mins)

  • Selecting high-resin agarwood chips
  • Ideal chip size and moisture content
  • Pre-soaking: Why and how long?

Module 5. Step-by-Step Hydrodistillation Process (Duration: 1 hour)

  • Loading the distillation vessel
  • Adding water (right level)
  • Heating and maintaining temperature (90–100°C)
  • Duration of distillation (8–24 hours)
  • Oil separation and collection

Module 6. Post-Extraction Handling (Duration: 30 mins)

  • Filtering and storing oil
  • Quality preservation: glass bottles, dark storage
  • Byproduct management (hydrosol, spent wood)

Module 7. Quality Control & Yield Optimization (Duration: 45 mins)

  • Determining purity (GC-MS, organoleptic test)
  • Typical yield expectations (0.5–2%)
  • Common errors and how to avoid them

Module 8. Hands-on Demonstration & Practice (Duration: 1 hour)

  • Setting up the system
  • Actual distillation of agarwood chips
  • Collecting and evaluating the oil

Module 9. Health, Safety & Environmental Compliance in Distillation Facilities

Module 10. Documentation, Reporting, and Traceability Systems

Module 11. Marketing, Branding & Export Strategies

Module 12. Business Scaling & Investor Readiness

Q&A + Certification (Duration: 15 mins)

  • Open forum
  • Evaluation/feedback
  • Issuance of certificate of participation

Training Materials Provided

  • Manual with diagrams
  • SOPs for setup and distillation
  • Safety checklist
  • Sample log sheets for batch processing
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