Predictive Modeling Based on Aspen HYSYS for Rhodinol Content Estimation in Pilot-Scale Vacuum Fractional Distillation of Citronella Oil: Agreement Evaluation with Experimental Data
Keywords:
citronella oil, rhodinol, vacuum fractionation, Aspen HYSYS, pilot scaleAbstract
Citronella oil is an essential oil widely used in the perfume, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and natural-product industries owing to its high-value rhodinol content (citronellol and geraniol). This study aims to develop and evaluate a vacuum fractional distillation process model based on Aspen HYSYS software to predictive the relative rhodinol content of citronella oil and evaluate its agreement with the actual pilot-scale process. Feedstock characterization used GCMS and physicochemical testing. Modeling was performed by varying vacuum pressure, reboiler temperature, and reflux ratio to determine operating conditions tested on a pilot-scale vacuum fractional distillation unit through three experiments, comparing the relative rhodinol content from the model and experiments based on percentage error. Results show the third experiment produced the highest relative rhodinol content of 66.51% at 26 mbar, a reboiler temperature of 134°C, and a reflux ratio of 6:1, with prediction error ranging from 25.01% to 42.80% and the lowest error in the third experiment. These findings indicate the Aspen HYSYS model provides a predictive trend supporting the design of operating conditions but still shows deviation from actual pilot-scale conditions, indicating the need to refine model parameters, operating conditions, and process assumptions to improve model reliability for larger-scale process development.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Fadli Hastito, Yusuf Affandi, Sabar Sabar, Achmad Chalid Afif Alfajrin, Rhahmi Adni Pesma, Mardhiyatna Mardhiyatna, Rizki Yustisia Sari, Gelard Unthirta Pratama, Frida Yassar Maula
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