Pilot-Scale Evaluation of Concentrating Solar Thermal Technology for Essential Oil Extraction and Comparison with Conventional Heating Sources for Use in Agro-Based Industrial Applications.

The conventional steam-distillation method requires a high amount of saturated steam and as a result, a lot of energy. Besides being energy-intensive, conventional steam-distillation processes emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The energy demand in essential oils processing and related agro-based processes can be alleviated by using concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies.