The Environmental Impact of the Pine Resin Essential Oil Extraction Methods and Its Qualitative and Quantitative Characteristics

According to traditional Algerian medicine, pin resin is well known for its potent antiseptic properties and boosting effects. On the other hand, in traditional Chinese medicine, pin resin is used to treat skin conditions, burns and scratches, tracheitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and as an effective antiseptic. The aims of this study is the extraction of volatile oil from pine resin using two extraction methods: microwave-assisted hydrodistillation (HDMO) and conventional hydrodistillation (HD) to study the effect of extraction technique on the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained, as well as the energy and environmental aspects of extraction. The best extraction yield is obtained by HD compared to HDMO. Chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed a significant fluctuation in the qualitative and quantitative aromatic profile according to the extraction method used, in particular α-pinene (HDMO: 33.95% HD: 33.43%), ρ-Cymene (7.01% HD: 6.317%), and Sabinene (8.55% HD: 8.207%).The environmental impact study showed that the energy consumed and the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere were significantly reduced (by 52.86%) with microwave-assisted hydrodistillation, attesting to the effectiveness of  HDMO as accelerated green techniques.