Palo Santo
Palo Santo
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey wood / bark distillation plants for Palo Santo. Mechotech’s legacy page text names Bursera graveolens wood and describes steam distillation to an oil with a sweet, woody, citrus-like aroma used in aromatherapy, meditation and spiritual practices. The Sureka Life Sciences (SLS) catalogue lists Palo Santo Distillation with Bursera graveolens as the botanical source and limonene as the marker compound. The exact wood feed form is confirmed with the client before the plant is configured.
Mechotech’s Palo Santo 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 and operating parameters are established during process development and pilot validation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Palo Santo Essential Oil Distillation Plant |
|---|---|
| Raw Material | Palo Santo wood |
| Botanical Name | Bursera graveolens (per the Sureka Life Sciences catalogue entry for Palo Santo Distillation and Mechotech’s legacy page text) |
| Plant Part / Feed Form | Wood, as named in the legacy page title and listed under Wood / Bark Distillation Plants (exact feed form, such as chips or sawdust, confirmed with the client) |
| Marker Compound | Limonene (per the Sureka Life Sciences catalogue entry) |
| Product Category | Wood / Bark 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 |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air and power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Palo Santo 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
Palo Santo wood is cleaned and reduced to chips or powder so that steam reaches the oil-bearing wood; the feed form and particle size are set during process development.
Charging & Distillation
The prepared Palo Santo charge is loaded into the SS 316L still and distilled by steam, hydro, vacuum or pressure distillation, selected during process development for the volatility and heat-sensitivity of the target oil.
Condensation
Vapours pass through a multi-tube condenser with chilled-water circulation, condensing the oil and hydrosol.
Oil–Water Separation
Condensate is separated in a stainless-steel Florentine flask; the oil is collected and 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 is sampled for GC-MS profile and physical parameters — specific gravity, refractive index, optical rotation — against the client’s specification.
Major Plant Equipment
- Wood cleaning, chipping and size-reduction system
- Perforated basket or false-bottom charge support
- 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
Applications
- Aromatherapy and well-being products
- Meditation and spiritual-practice products (per the legacy listing)
- Skin-care products
- Insect-repellent products
Key Features
SS 316L Construction
Product-contact surfaces are SS 316L for corrosion resistance and product purity, with CIP capability between batches.
Efficient Condensation
Multi-tube condensers with chilled-water circulation condense the volatile oil and hydrosol and limit loss of volatile top-notes.
Wood-Charge Distillation
The still is configured for size-reduced wood charges, with the distillation mode set during process development.
Hydrosol Recovery
Integrated oil–water separation allows the aromatic hydrosol to be drawn off and 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 Palo Santo?
What specification can the Palo Santo plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Palo Santo plant?
Which end uses are listed for the Palo Santo plant?
Which part of Palo Santo is processed in the distillation plant?
How is Palo Santo oil produced in the plant?
What is the botanical source and marker compound of Palo Santo on this page?
How does Palo Santo differ from the other wood and bark oil pages?
Which neighbouring plants does the product tree list with Palo Santo?
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