Recovery of beta-pinene from crude sulfate turpentine

The object of this project was to develop an economical method to obtain high-purity beta-pinene from Waldorf-Hoerner crude sulfate turpentine produced at Missoula, Montana; The basic raw material for this project was the crude sulfate turpentine from the Waldorf-Hoerner mill.The alpha-pinene and delta-3-carene content of the crude varies extensively over any given period of time, but the beta-pinene content,remains quite constant at 10 percent of the crude.Batch distillation was used as the method of separating the turpentine into pure components.The material most frequently used as a distillation charge, for the project was a fraction of the crude turpentine consisting of 40.0 percent alpha-pinene, 4.5 percent camphene, 24.0 percent beta-pinene, and 31.5 percent delta-3-carene.Gas chromatography was used for compound identification and determination of sample compositions.The effects of column height, reflux ratio, and steam on the separation of the turpentine components were, investigated.Scouting experiments showed that a 45 theoretical plate column operating at a 30:1 reflux ratio and steam distillation would have to be employed to obtain high purity,beta-pinene.The process proposed for the separation of the alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, delta-3-carene fraction requires two batch distillation columns.The firs.t removes alpha-pinene at a 10:1 reflux ratio, steam distillation; the second separates a beta-pinene, delta-3-carene concentrate at a 30:1 reflux ratio, steam distillation, to obtain high purity beta-pinene and delta-3-carene plus a midfraction that is returned to the process as recycle..An economic study of the process shows a 102.8 percent return bn an investment of $82,383 for a plant processing 2100 gallons of terpenes per.week.The payout time is 0.91 years.The plant and process described in this report would be economically feasible to build and operate.