Supercritical CO₂ | Microwave | Hydrodistillation | Ultrasound | Enzyme-Assisted
UAE is a modern green extraction technique that uses ultrasonic sound waves (usually 20–100 kHz) to disrupt plant cell walls, enhancing the release of intracellular compounds like essential oils, resins, and active phytochemicals.
How It Works:
- Ultrasound waves create a phenomenon called acoustic cavitation (the formation, growth, and collapse of microbubbles in the solvent).
- These microbubbles collapse violently near plant material, rupturing cell walls.
- This allows the faster release of oils and bioactive compounds into the solvent (e.g., ethanol, hexane, water).
- The process works at lower temperatures, preserving thermolabile compounds (which can degrade under heat).
Advantages of UAE:
- Reduced extraction time (minutes instead of hours or days)
- Lower solvent use
- High extraction efficiency and yield
- Preserves heat-sensitive compounds
- Scalable and eco-friendly
Applications for Perfumery and Medicinal Crops:
UAE is especially useful for:
- Agarwood oil extraction from Aquilaria malaccensis chips or dust
- Sandalwood, ylang-ylang, cinnamon, and other essential oil–bearing crops
- Phenolic, flavonoid, and resin extraction for pharmacological or cosmetic use
Considerations:
- Requires specialized ultrasonic equipment
- Extraction efficiency depends on power intensity, solvent type, temperature, and duration
- For larger-scale operations, batch or continuous-flow ultrasonic reactors are used