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Agar Wood /Oud
Wood / Bark Distillation Plants

Agar Wood /Oud

Agar Wood /Oud Wood / Bark Distillation Plants — Mechotech

Agar Wood /Oud

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey wood / bark distillation plants for Agar Wood /Oud (Aquilaria spp.). We supply the complete machinery to process Agar Wood /Oud into an essential oil configured to the client’s target specification for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, and fragrance industries. The catalogue describes agarwood (oud) oil from Aquilaria species by steam or hydro distillation.

Mechotech's Agar Wood /Oud plant is configured around the specific chemistry and processing requirements of Agar Wood /Oud. Built in SS 316L with integrated condensers and oil-water separation, PLC-based automation, and full documentation, each plant is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. Agarwood is a resin-infused heartwood, so the line is built around chipping or milling the wood and a still sized for dense, resinous charges; the legacy listing describes steam or hydro distillation.

Process Flow

Mechotech agarwood-to-pure-oil process flow — grinding, supercritical CO² extraction, and short-path distillation to high-purity agarwood oil

Technical Specifications

ProductAgar Wood /Oud Distillation Plant
Process CategoryWood / Bark Distillation Plants
Botanical NameAquilaria spp. (resin-infused heartwood)
Marker Compoundβ-Agarofuran (per the Sureka Life Sciences catalogue entry for Agarwood Distillation; Aquilaria malaccensis)
Extract TypeEssential oil, with aromatic hydrosol as a recoverable co-product
Extraction MethodSteam or hydro distillation (catalogue listing); final route confirmed during process development
Product-contact MaterialSS 316L, CIP-capable
Condensation & SeparationMulti-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation; stainless-steel Florentine flask for oil–water separation
PolishingPolish filtration; drying over anhydrous sodium sulphate or by vacuum
Quality ControlGC-MS and physical parameters (specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation) verified per batch
Utility RequirementsSteam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, soft water, power (project-specific)
AutomationPLC-based automation
Plant CapacityConfigured to requirement
Final Product FormEssential oil (liquid) and recoverable hydrosol

Plant Capacities

Plant ScaleRaw Material ThroughputTypical Use
PilotConfigured to your feedstock and trial planProduct development, parameter validation
Semi-CommercialConfigured between pilot and commercial scaleContract manufacturing, scale-up trials
CommercialConfigured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volumeCommercial production at confirmed buyer volume

Capacity is configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate process parameters before scaling.

Manufacturing Process

1

Raw Material Preparation

Resin-infused agarwood heartwood is cleaned, sorted and reduced to chips or powder so that steam contacts the resinous wood; the feed form and soaking or charge conditions are set during process development.

2

Charging & Distillation

The prepared Agar Wood /Oud charge is loaded into the SS 316L still and distilled by steam, hydro (hydrodistillation), vacuum, or pressure distillation — selected for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil.

3

Condensation

Vapours pass through an efficient multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation, condensing the volatile oil and hydrosol.

4

Oil–Water Separation

Condensate is separated in a stainless-steel Florentine flask; the essential oil is collected while the hydrosol is drawn off (and can be recovered as a co-product).

5

Polishing & Drying

The crude oil is polish-filtered and dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate (or by vacuum) to remove residual moisture.

6

Quality Control

Each batch of Agar Wood /Oud oil is verified by GC-MS and physical parameters (specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation) before release.

Major Plant Equipment

  • Raw material cleaning and sorting (with size reduction where required)
  • SS 316L distillation still
  • Steam distribution system
  • Multi-tube condenser (chilled-water circulation)
  • Stainless-steel Florentine oil–water separator
  • Polish filtration and drying unit (anhydrous sodium sulphate or vacuum)
  • Hydrosol collection
  • Essential oil and hydrosol storage tanks
  • CIP (clean-in-place) system
  • PLC-based automation panel

Plant Output

Agar Wood /Oud essential oilAgar Wood /Oud hydrosol (aromatic water co-product)

From Plant to Product

Agarwood Distillation

This botanical is also in the product range of Sureka Life Sciences, our sister concern in botanical ingredients.

Applications

  • Aromatherapy
  • Topical application
  • Perfumery
  • Incense and traditional practices

Key Features

  • SS 316L Construction

    All product-contact surfaces are SS 316L for corrosion resistance and product purity, with CIP capability between batches.

  • Efficient Condensation

    High-surface-area multi-tube condensers with chilled-water circulation maximise oil recovery and minimise losses of volatile top-notes.

  • Resinous-Wood Distillation

    The still is configured for dense, resin-infused wood charges, with the distillation mode and run time set during process development.

  • Hydrosol Recovery

    Integrated separation allows recovery of the aromatic hydrosol as a co-product.

  • Scalable Capacity

    Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Agar Wood /Oud?
Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Agar Wood /Oud — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed, and commissioned as a single integrated system.
What specification can the Agar Wood /Oud plant achieve?
The plant is configured to the client’s target specification for Agar Wood /Oud; the specification achieved is established during process development and pilot validation, and batch-release testing with certificate-of-analysis documentation is defined with the client.
What production capacities are available for the Agar Wood /Oud plant?
Capacity for the Agar Wood /Oud plant is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline, starting at pilot scale; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Which industries use the Agar Wood /Oud plant?
Applications listed for agarwood (oud) oil include aromatherapy, topical application, perfumery, and incense and traditional practices. The end use and the target specification are confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.
How is Agar Wood /Oud essential oil produced in Mechotech's distillation plant?
The Agar Wood /Oud charge is cleaned and sorted, loaded into an SS 316L still and distilled by steam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation chosen for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the oil. Vapours are condensed in a multi-tube condenser, the oil is separated from the hydrosol in a Florentine flask, then polish-filtered, dried and released after GC-MS and physical-parameter testing. The line sits within Mechotech's Wood / Bark Distillation Plants range.
How does this Agar Wood / Oud distillation plant differ from the Agarwood / Oud absolute plant?
This page covers distillation of agar wood / oud. The Agarwood / Oud absolute extraction plant is a separate line that extracts resin-infused Aquilaria heartwood into an absolute by solvent or supercritical CO₂ extraction.
What is Agar Wood /Oud and what is its botanical source?
Agar Wood /Oud is sourced from Aquilaria spp. (resin-infused heartwood). Mechotech configures the plant to the buyer's target specification, confirmed by batch-release testing, rather than to a fixed percentage.
Which marker does agarwood distillation carry?
The Sureka Life Sciences catalogue lists β-agarofuran as the marker for agarwood distillation (Aquilaria malaccensis). Agarwood species may be subject to trade controls in some markets, so the species, sourcing documentation and regulatory position are confirmed with the client; none is stated on this page.

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