a triple-integration technology including molecular distillation
thin-film evaporation
and distillation was adopted to separate cinnamon oil. The effects of distillation temperature
pressure and reflux ratio on the yield and purity of five components were investigated. Statistical calculations showed that the technology is successful in the separation of cinnamon oil. In order to understand the effects of separation factors
cinnamaldehyde is selected as a model compound. Based on a central composite design
the statistic model shows that distillation temperature and pressure have significant effects on the separation of cinnamaldehyde. The optimal values for highest yield and purity are as follows: temperature 95℃ and pressure 50 Pa. The experimental results are in agreement with the predicted values
indicating a successful application of response surface methodology in the optimization of separation parameters for cinnamon oil.