Odor Separation

Fig. 5.2. Gas chromatography (GC) and electroantennography (EAG) analysis of male Manduca sexta antennal responses to floral volatiles from the night blooming cactus Peniocereus greggii. The upper trace is a flame ionization detection (FID) chromatogram of floral headspace odors separated on a carbowax GC column, while the lower trace is a simultaneous recording of summed antennal action potentials elicited by individual compounds as they elute. The largest absolute responses followed methyl benzoate, methyl salicylate, and benzyl alcohol (peaks 3-5, respectively). Note the poor responses (circled) to benzaldehyde and benzyl benzoate (peaks 2, 6) and the disproportionately higher responses (bold arrows) to methyl salicylate and benzyl salicylate (peak 7) relative to their peak areas. Peak 1 is the internal standard (toluene) remaining unnumbered peaks are ambient contaminants.

Essential oils are produced from dry or fresh plant materials by distillation. Citrus oils are the only essential oils obtained by cold pressing. Several technologies have been developed for their production (1, 3,9,12,26). Dry distillation is a thermal degradation process to obtain tar such as birch, cade, pine, and cedar tars. This process involves applying intense heat to scrap wood material from the top in totally anaerobic condition. Because of thermal degradation, a viscous dark-colored, tarry liquid with a smoky odor separates and collects in a container underneath the vessel. This material separates into two layers in 15-20 days. Tar sinks to the bottom and the oily layer floats on top of water. It contains methanol, acetic acid, and degradation products of lignin (1, 3, 9-14). 

Other Separations. Other TSA appHcations range from CO2 removal to hydrocarbon separations, and include removal of air poUutants and odors, and purification of streams containing HCl and boron compounds. Because of their high selectivity for CO2 and their abiHty to dry concurrently,... 

Nearly every chemical manufacturiag operation requites the use of separation processes to recover and purify the desired product. In most circumstances, the efficiency of the separation process has a significant impact on both the quality and the cost of the product (1). Liquid-phase adsorption has long been used for the removal of contaminants present at low concentrations in process streams. In most cases, the objective is to remove a specific feed component alternatively, the contaminants are not well defined, and the objective is the improvement of feed quality defined by color, taste, odor, and storage stability (2-5) (see Wastes, industrial Water, industrial watertreati nt). 

Diketones. y-Diketones contain two carbonyl groups separated by two carbon atoms. With the exception of 2,5-hexanedione which is a high boiling Hquid, 1,4-diketones ate low melting white soHds with only faint odors. Lower members are soluble in organic solvents and water. Properties of representative 1,4-diketones are shown in Table 14. 

Reversed-phase hplc has been used to separate PPG into its components using evaporative light scattering and uv detection of their 3,5-dinitroben2oyl derivatives. Acetonitrile—water or methanol—water mixtures effected the separation (175). Polymer glycols in PUR elastomers have been identified (176) by pyrolysis-gc. The pyrolysis was carried out at 600°C and produced a small amount of ethane, CO2, propane, and mostiy propylene, CO, and CH4. The species responsible for a musty odor present in some PUR foam was separated and identified by gc (Supelco SP-2100 capillary column)... 

Tall oil rosin is a by-product of paper manufacturing. Raw wood chips are digested under heat and pressure with a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. Soluble sodium salts of lignin, rosin, and fatty acids are formed, which are removed from the wood pulp as a dark solution. The soaps of the rosin and fatty acids float to the top of the mixture, where they are skimmed off and treated with sulfuric acid to free the rosin and fatty acids. This mixture, known as cmde tall oil (CTO), is refined further to remove color and odor bodies fractional distillation separates the tall oil rosin acids from the fatty acids (see Tall oil). 

The denomination of odors was schematically related to two separate domains, both related to the memory stimulus of an event concomitant with the perception of the odor. One domain was based on an actual reference point that contains the odor vectors the other was associated with an odor stimulus based on imagination, ie, what image is evoked by the stimulus. With such a system, the final descriptive terminology used would more often than not be expressed in esoteric language, causing confusion and even communication breakdown. The work of Jaubert (1) was the origin of a more standardized descriptive system in the field of aroma description. 

Purification. Purification problems are primarily solved by two methods continuous vacuum fractionation and chemical combination to yield a high boiling ester, separation of the noncombining impurities by distillation, and hydrolysis of the ester. Although the product produced by continuous vacuum fractionation satisfies most needs, shows no impurities by glc, is odor-acceptable, and thus is used to produce most of the PEA for commercial use, for highest requirements chemical purification by the borate ester is required. 

Essential Oils. Volatile oils from plants are referred to as essential oils. The oils can be obtained through steam distillation, solvent extraction, or separation of the oils from pressed fmit. They consist of oxygenated compounds, terpenes, and sesquiterpenes. The primary flavor components of essential oils are oxygenated compounds. Terpenes contain some flavors but are often removed from the essential oil because they are easily oxidized (causiag off-flavors or odors) and are iasoluble. Essential oils are prepared from fmits, herbs, roots, and spices. 

Distillation. Most fatty acids are distilled to produce high quaHty products having exceUent color and a low level of impurities. Distillation removes odor bodies and low boiling unsaponifiable material in a light ends or heads fraction, and higher boiling material such as polymerized material, triglycerides, color bodies, and heavy decomposition products are removed as a bottoms or pitch fraction. The middle fractions sometimes can be used as is, or they can be fractionated (separated) into relatively pure materials such as lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids. 

The isomeric mixture is a colodess, mobile Hquid with a sweet, slightly irritating odor resembling that of chloroform. It decomposes slowly on exposure to light, air, and moisture. The mixture is soluble ia most hydrocarbons and only slightly soluble ia water. The cis—trans proportions ia a cmde mixture depend on the production conditions. The isomers have distinct physical and chemical properties and can be separated by fractional distillation. 

A large number of odors are borne by particles, but for effective separation, chemical filters are very often required, which can be justified in an urban environment. 

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