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Costus Root
Roots / Husk Distillation Plants

Costus Root

Costus Root Roots / Husk Distillation Plants — Mechotech

Costus Root

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey roots / husk distillation plants for Costus Root (Saussurea costus). We supply the complete machinery to process Costus Root (root) into an essential oil configured to the client’s target specification. Costus (Saussurea costus) is a rare aromatic herb known for an earthy, woody fragrance; the catalogue lists its oil for perfumery, traditional medicine, incense and cosmetics.

Mechotech’s Costus Root distillation plant is configured around the raw material and the target oil. It is built in SS 316L with integrated condensers and oil–water separation, PLC-based automation and full documentation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. The distillation mode is selected during process development. Costus is a hard, dense root, so the line is built around cleaning off soil and reducing the root before distillation; costunolide is the listed marker compound.

Technical Specifications

ProductCostus Root Distillation Plant
Botanical NameSaussurea costus
Raw MaterialCostus Root
Plant PartRoot
Marker CompoundCostunolide (per the Sureka Life Sciences catalogue entry for Costus Root Distillation)
Product CategoryRoots / Husk Distillation Plants
Extraction MethodSteam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation — selected for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil
Product-contact MaterialSS 316L
CondensationMulti-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation
Oil–Water SeparationStainless-steel Florentine flask
FinishingPolish filtration; drying over anhydrous sodium sulphate or by vacuum
AutomationPLC-based
Plant CapacityConfigured to requirement
Final Product FormCostus Root essential oil; aromatic hydrosol as co-product

Plant Capacities

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

Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.

Manufacturing Process

1

Raw Material Preparation

Costus (Saussurea costus) roots are cleaned of soil and reduced in size so that steam reaches the oil-bearing tissue; the feed form and particle size are set during process development.

2

Charging & Distillation

The prepared Costus Root 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 Costus Root 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 system
  • Size-reduction unit (where required)
  • SS 316L distillation still / extractor
  • Multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation
  • Stainless-steel Florentine flask (oil–water separator)
  • Polish filtration system
  • Drying unit (anhydrous sodium sulphate or vacuum)
  • CIP system
  • PLC-based automation and instrumentation

Plant Output

Costus Root essential oilAromatic hydrosol (co-product)

From Plant to Product

Costus Root Distillation

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

Applications

  • Perfumery and fragrance
  • Aromatherapy
  • Cosmetics
  • Flavouring
  • Traditional medicine and incense (per the legacy listing)

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 condense the volatile oil and hydrosol.

  • Root-Charge Distillation

    The still is configured for dense, size-reduced root charges, with the distillation mode set during process development.

  • Hydrosol Recovery

    Integrated separation allows the aromatic hydrosol to be recovered 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 Costus Root?
Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey plant for Costus Root — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed and commissioned as a single integrated system. Final process parameters are established during process development and pilot validation.
What specification can the Costus Root plant achieve?
The plant is configured to the client’s target specification for Costus Root; the specification achieved is established during process development and pilot validation, and each batch is released with batch-release testing and certificate-of-analysis documentation.
What production capacities are available for the Costus Root plant?
Capacity for the Costus Root 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 part of Costus Root is processed in the distillation plant?
The catalogue lists Costus Root as root. The exact feed form is confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.
How is Costus Root oil produced in the plant?
The prepared Costus Root charge is loaded into an SS 316L still and distilled by steam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation, selected for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil. Vapours are condensed in a multi-tube condenser, the oil and hydrosol are separated in a Florentine flask, and the crude oil is polish-filtered and dried before quality control.
Which related plants does the catalogue list with Costus Root?
The legacy catalogue lists these related plants with Costus Root: Angelica; Calamus; Iris / Orris; Kapoor Kachri; NagarMotha.
Which marker does the catalogue list for costus root oil?
The Sureka Life Sciences catalogue lists costunolide as the marker of costus root oil (Saussurea costus), with perfumery and fragrance, aromatherapy, cosmetics and flavouring uses. Costunolide is a sesquiterpene lactone that is not typically volatile, so the marker level for the distilled oil is agreed with the buyer and established during process development. Costus species may be subject to trade controls in some markets, to be confirmed with the client.

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