
Agar Wood /Oud

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

Technical Specifications
| Product | Agar Wood /Oud Distillation Plant |
|---|---|
| Process Category | Wood / Bark Distillation Plants |
| Botanical Name | Aquilaria spp. (resin-infused heartwood) |
| Marker Compound | β-Agarofuran (per the Sureka Life Sciences catalogue entry for Agarwood Distillation; Aquilaria malaccensis) |
| Extract Type | Essential oil, with aromatic hydrosol as a recoverable co-product |
| Extraction Method | Steam or hydro distillation (catalogue listing); final route confirmed during process development |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L, CIP-capable |
| Condensation & Separation | Multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation; stainless-steel Florentine flask for oil–water separation |
| Polishing | Polish filtration; drying over anhydrous sodium sulphate or by vacuum |
| Quality Control | GC-MS and physical parameters (specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation) verified per batch |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, soft water, power (project-specific) |
| Automation | PLC-based automation |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Final Product Form | Essential oil (liquid) and recoverable hydrosol |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Raw Material Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial 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
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.
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.
Condensation
Vapours pass through an efficient multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation, condensing the volatile oil and hydrosol.
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).
Polishing & Drying
The crude oil is polish-filtered and dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate (or by vacuum) to remove residual moisture.
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
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?
What specification can the Agar Wood /Oud plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Agar Wood /Oud plant?
Which industries use the Agar Wood /Oud plant?
How is Agar Wood /Oud essential oil produced in Mechotech's distillation plant?
How does this Agar Wood / Oud distillation plant differ from the Agarwood / Oud absolute plant?
What is Agar Wood /Oud and what is its botanical source?
Which marker does agarwood distillation carry?
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