Frankincense / Olibanum Resinoid
Frankincense / Olibanum Resinoid
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey gum and resin extraction plants for frankincense and olibanum, processing tapped Boswellia oleo-gum-resin (commonly Boswellia serrata, Boswellia sacra or Boswellia carterii, depending on regional sourcing) into a solvent-extracted resinoid or absolute. The line covers resin cleaning, size reduction, solvent extraction, filtration, concentration with solvent recovery and standardisation, for fragrance, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and incense use. For a steam-distilled frankincense / olibanum essential oil rather than a resinoid, see the separate Frankincense / Olibanum distillation plant page, linked in the FAQs below; tell us which process fits your target product.
Mechotech’s frankincense / olibanum resinoid plant is built around the physical nature of oleo-gum-resin, a hardened, air-cured exudate tapped from incisions in Boswellia bark. The tapped resin (the aromatic “tears”) arrives as irregular, waxy-to-brittle lumps mixed with bark fragments and sand, so the line opens with dedicated cleaning, sorting and controlled size-reduction stages rather than the simple wash or mill step used for leafy botanicals. Extraction cycles and temperature are configured to open the resin matrix and recover its boswellic-acid and terpenoid fraction. Boswellic acids are largely non-volatile and are not carried over by steam distillation, so a resinoid or solvent-extracted powder is the route when boswellic-acid content itself is the target. The plant is built in SS 316L with closed jacketed extractors, solvent recovery and PLC-based automation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system with full batch documentation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Frankincense / Olibanum Resinoid Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Botanical Source | Boswellia serrata, Boswellia sacra or Boswellia carterii — species confirmed per sourcing lot |
| Raw Material | Tapped, air-cured oleo-gum-resin lumps (“tears”) |
| Plant Part | Resin exudate (bark-tapped, not a leaf, seed or root) |
| Extract Type | Resinoid / absolute (solvent-extracted concentrate) |
| Documented Bioactive Class | Boswellic acids and related terpenoids — well-documented resin constituent class; no fixed percentage assay claimed |
| Extraction Method | Solvent extraction (food-grade alcohol or hydrocarbon system, per target product) in closed jacketed SS 316L extractors |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L, CIP-cleanable |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filtration |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with closed-loop solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Vacuum tray dryer / spray dryer (product-dependent) |
| Automation | PLC-SCADA with recipe management, batch traceability and production reporting |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement; resin lots vary by origin, species and season, so capacity is confirmed after a pilot trial |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; solvent-handling areas engineered for flammable solvents; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Viscous resinoid/absolute, or standardised dry extract where specified |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Resin Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your resin lot and trial plan | Product development, solvent-system and cycle-time validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Contract processing, scale-up trials |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-resin supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial production |
Capacity is configured to raw-resin supply and confirmed buyer volume; a pilot plant is recommended to validate extraction cycle time and solvent recovery on your specific resin lot before scaling, since tapped resin quality varies by origin, species and harvest season.
Manufacturing Process
Resin Cleaning & Sorting
Tapped Boswellia oleo-gum-resin “tears” are inspected and sorted by hand or machine to remove bark fragments, sand and foreign matter — a cleaning step specific to tapped resin.
Controlled Size Reduction
The cleaned resin is broken down and milled to a uniform particle size using equipment configured for its waxy-to-brittle structure; cooling and feed rate are controlled because softer resin lots can gum up a standard mill.
Solvent Extraction
Milled resin is charged into closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors and extracted with a food-grade solvent system under controlled temperature and multiple cycles, typically longer than a leafy botanical requires, to recover the boswellic-acid and terpenoid fraction.
Filtration
The resin miscella is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters to remove residual particulate and waxy sediment.
Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The filtered miscella is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, with solvent recovered through the closed-loop condenser return system.
Standardisation & Quality Control
The concentrated resinoid/absolute is assayed and adjusted to the declared target specification, then released after residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial and moisture testing with certificate-of-analysis documentation.
Major Plant Equipment
- Resin reception, cleaning and sorting station
- Controlled size-reduction / resin milling system
- Closed jacketed SS 316L solvent extraction vessels
- Solvent storage tanks and transfer pumps
- Plate-and-frame filter press / pressure leaf filter
- Cartridge polish filters
- Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
- Closed-loop solvent recovery system
- Condensers & vacuum pumps
- Vacuum tray dryer / spray dryer
- CIP (clean-in-place) system
- Storage tanks & finished-product tanks
- PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- Fine fragrance and perfumery — base-note resinoid use
- Aromatherapy — resinoid and essential oil for diffusers, massage oils and bath preparations
- Incense and traditional resin-based preparations
- Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical use — standardised frankincense extract for joint-health products
- Cosmetics and skin care — resinoid and boswellic-acid extract
- Ayurvedic, Unani and traditional medicine preparations
Key Features
Dedicated Resin Cleaning & Size Reduction
Purpose-built handling for tapped Boswellia resin “tears” protects downstream extraction efficiency.
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Extended-Cycle Extraction for Dense Resin
Extraction time and temperature are configured for the resin’s dense matrix, to recover the boswellic-acid and terpenoid fraction.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-return recovery reuses solvent between batches and limits solvent loss.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release assay are used to check the finished resinoid against its declared customer specification.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a frankincense / olibanum resinoid extraction plant?
What specification can the Frankincense / Olibanum Resinoid plant achieve?
How is this different from Mechotech's frankincense/olibanum essential-oil plant?
Why does resin need a different raw-material preparation process than a leaf or seed?
Which Boswellia species can the plant process?
What compounds does the plant target, and does Mechotech state a fixed assay percentage?
What production capacities are available for the Frankincense / Olibanum Resinoid plant?
Which industries does the catalogue list for the frankincense resin extraction plant?
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