Investigating the kinetic model of rosewater production using a solar energy driven hydrodistillation system

Distilling fresh flowers, leaves, fruits, and other plant parts in water makes hydrosols. Currently, hydrosol production is not autonomous. Hydrosol is a by-product of essential oil extraction. It is common to extract energy for distillation using electricity or fossil fuels. The fossil fuel-driven distillation systems are voluminous, expensive, energy-intensive and not environmentally friendly. This research investigates solar thermal hydrodistillation for producing rose hydrosol, popularly known as rosewater. Furthermore, it also investigates the kinetic order of chemical reactions. This study discovered that rosewater accounted for around 80 % of the total raw material mass. The rosewater yield was 4735 ml/day on a 1.5 m 2 area. The experiment produced 9.6 L of rosewater within two days. The hydrodistillation process has an average energy efficiency of 26.3 %. During the experiment, the concentration of raw material combination (C o ) decreased exponentially from the start (t = 0), but rosewater yield increased linearly at time t (C t ). From this investigation, it has also been found that first-order kinetics regulates rosewater production. Overall, the quality metrics (pH = 5.5, TDS = 13 ppm) show that solar energy is a realistic and sustainable technique to generate premium rosewater. This system is appropriate for rural locations and ideally suited to rosewater production since the system is simple in construction and easy to operate and maintain compared to conventional boiler-based systems. The production and commercialisation of rosewaters represent a promising business opportunity, particularly due to their growing application in the cosmetics industry. • Solar hydrodistillation produces eco-friendly rosewater. • Rosewater yield: 9.6 L in two days. • Production follows first-order reaction kinetics. • Rosewater quality is suitable for premium use. • The system is simple, cost-effective, and efficient.