Different Extracting Methods of Medicinal Herbs

Salvia officinalis L. is well known as an aromatic and medicinal plant in Albania. Several studies suggest that Salvia officinalis L., in addition to treating minor common illnesses, might potentially provide novel natural treatments for the relief or cure of many serious and life-threatening diseases such as depression, dementia, obesity, diabetes, lupus, heart disease, cancer or antibacterial treatments. The most common methods used for obtaining extracts of essential oils are water distillation, distillation with organic solvents such as hexane, ethanol, methanol and extraction with liquid CO2 under pressure as well. The extracts fractions obtained by these methods are of interest especially in the fields of pharmacology, cosmetic, medicine, food chemistry etc. In this study the extraction of essential oil from Salvia officinalis L is carried out by using an organic solvent (hexane) and liquid CO2 solvent under pressure at 40 0 C. The essential oil extracts are analyzed by thin layer chromatography. The amount of essential oil and the overall yield obtained by hexane distillation method is lower than that obtained by CO2 extraction method. These findings demonstrated that the amount of S. Officinalis oils obtained by CO2 extraction method is optimal, making that suitable for a possible use in pharmaceutical purposes.

The Electrification of Conventional Industrial Processes: The Use of Mechanical Vapor Compression in an EtOH–Water Distillation Tower

The aim of this study is to analyze the exergetic, environmental, and economic impact of the electrification of a bio-refinery plant, considering the application of Mechanical Vapor Compression (MVC) to a conventional water–ethanol distillation column in the context of bioethanol production. The process was implemented in AspenPlus® and Aspen Exchange Design and Rating (EDR) simulation environments, where a sensitivity analysis was also carried out, considering four scenarios characterized by different compressions’ operative conditions, and including a Coefficient of Performance (CoP) analysis of the proposed solution with MVC. Exergetic and economic analyses were performed, and the relevant impacts on Operative Expenditure (OpEx) and Capital Expenditure (CapEx) were analyzed. Comparing the base case scenario with the proposed solution, a reduction of operative costs of around 63% was achieved. Finally, an environmental analysis was carried out, showing a remarkable reduction in the carbon footprint of the unit, with a carbon dioxide emission reduction of almost 80% for the MVC solution, in line with RED target requirements.

Experimentally Investigated the Development and Performance of a Parabolic Trough Solar Water Distillation Unit Concerning Angle-Wise

The PTC performance was evaluated at four (i.e., 25o, 35o, 45o, and 55o) different adjusting Angles and it clearly showed that the adjusting Angles is highly significant, affecting the efficiency of the collector. The PTC received mean solar radiation 513 kJ.m-2.hr-1 with the absorbing temperature of the absorber in PTC was noted 123oC, 115oC, and 113oC consecutively the months of the year with the adjusting angles of 25o, 35o, and 45o respectively. Distilled water from the solar water distillation unit was found to improve the laboratory’s quality and wash equipment in the hospital. PTC’s efficiency noted 26.9%, 26.3%, and 26.1% with the distilled water up to 217, 313, and 343 ml.m-2.day-1 for the adjusting Angles of 25o, 45o, and 35o respectively. From the result, it concluded that to obtain maximum distilled water, the PTC should be set on adjusting Angles of 25o, 35o, and 45o. The average unit price of distillate from the solar still is assessed as Rs. 2.64/L-m2 with a payback period is 365 days. The unit distillate cost is seen to reduce significantly from Rs. 4.92/L to Rs. 1.57/L. It concluded from results that the distilled water of PTC relatively decent quality.

Experimental investigation of a pyramid type solar still with porous material: productivity assessment

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of porous material (clay pots) and it is facing on the productivity performance of a pyramid type solar still. The clay pots are placed in the basin facing up and facing down. The numbers of clay pots considered were 9 and 25, and its performance was compared with normal (0 clay pots) solar still. Design/methodology/approach The pyramid solar water distillation system has been designed, fabricated and tested under the actual environmental conditions of Kanchikacherla (16.6834 0N, 80.3904 0E), Andhra Pradesh, India. The solar still is used to produce the fresh water and hot water simultaneously from the brackish (i.e. containing dissolved salts) feed water for domestic applications. From open literature, it was established that the rate of evaporation is higher when the flowing water is held for a longer duration on the black color absorber plate, thereby leading to an increase in productivity of freshwater. Therefore, the pyramid solar still has been tested for smooth absorber plate and the absorber plate with porous heat storage material. Findings The porous material increases the production rate of freshwater compared to a base plate. However, the pyramid still with clay pots has higher productivity at a lower temperature because of the porosity effect. Originality/value The total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and pH of the distilled water and the saline water have also been measured and compared.

Statistical Analysis of Green Laboratory Practice Survey: Conservation on Non-Distilled Water from Distillation Process

The water crisis is identified as the most serious global risk for the coming decade. Distilled water is one of the on-demand elements in academic laboratories; however, water scarcity may eventually affect the education sector, necessitating the implementation of new policies. Human behavior, awareness, knowledge, and opinion is having an impact on water management; accordingly, a questionnaire was purposely designed and validated to assess these variables in a Malaysian public university regarding the use of non-distilled water produced by the distillation process. An exploratory factor analysis yielded four factors: “concept of green laboratory and water”, “usage of non-distilled water”, “knowledge about water distillation”, and “behavior related to water conservation”. Using the Mann–Whitney U test to compare laboratory and non-laboratory users’ responses, the variables “Knowledge”, “Behavior”, and “Opinion” revealed statistically significant differences, with laboratory users scoring higher in all four variables. Employing the Kruskal–Wallis H test in an occupation-based comparison among laboratory users, and with an additional variable “Practice”, showed that “Lecturer” has the highest mean rank for “Awareness”, “Behavior”, and “Opinion”, while “Laboratory Assistant” has the highest mean rank for “Knowledge”. This study provides a rationale analysis for future insights to educate faculty members about the reuse of non-distilled water sustainably.

Insecticidal Activity of Essential Oil of Syzygium Aromaticum Flower in Drosophila

A comprehensive investigation regarding insecticides' mechanism of action on agriculture- and medically-important insects is an important issue to consider. This study aimed to investigate the insecticidal activity of essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum flower (EOSF) using Drosophila melanogaster as an in vivo insect model platform. EOSF was used as a proof-of-concept natural product since it has been reported to exert insecticide activity on certain harmful insects. EOSF was prepared by the water distillation method, and the essential oil is then used to identify its effects on the mortality rate and the locomotor activity of Drosophila. Our results demonstrated that both males and females of D. melanogaster were succumbed immediately, in a dose-response manner, upon EOSF exposure. A slight discrepancy was evident in the effect of EOSF on the mortality rate of males compared to their females' counterparts, thus delineating the possible sex-dependent effect of EOSF on D. melanogaster. Further, decreased locomotor activity was observed on both male and female Drosophila upon EOSF exposure. Overall, it was concluded that EOSF (10 μl, 100 μl, and 1000 μl concentrations) produced insecticidal activity in D. melanogaster.