
Costus Root

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
| Product | Costus Root Distillation Plant |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Saussurea costus |
| Raw Material | Costus Root |
| Plant Part | Root |
| Marker Compound | Costunolide (per the Sureka Life Sciences catalogue entry for Costus Root Distillation) |
| Product Category | Roots / Husk Distillation Plants |
| Extraction Method | Steam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation — selected for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L |
| Condensation | Multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation |
| Oil–Water Separation | Stainless-steel Florentine flask |
| Finishing | Polish filtration; drying over anhydrous sodium sulphate or by vacuum |
| Automation | PLC-based |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Final Product Form | Costus Root essential oil; aromatic hydrosol as co-product |
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 | Scale-up trials, contract manufacturing |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial 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
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.
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.
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 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
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?
What specification can the Costus Root plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Costus Root plant?
Which part of Costus Root is processed in the distillation plant?
How is Costus Root oil produced in the plant?
Which related plants does the catalogue list with Costus Root?
Which marker does the catalogue list for costus root oil?
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