Modeling the Kinetics of the Essential Oil Hydrodistillation from Lavender Flowers

BACKGROUND Lavender essential oil (LEO) is widely used in cosmetics, medicine, and food due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Hydrodistillation is the most common extraction method, but it is often inefficient, with long extraction times and thermal degradation of sensitive compounds. Understanding the extraction kinetics is essential for optimizing yield and scaling up production. This study aimed to identify the most accurate kinetic model for LEO hydrodistillation and to evaluate the influence of distillation flask size, distillation rate (which depends on heating rate, i.e., thermal energy input), and flower‐to‐water ratio on extraction performance. RESULTS The LEO yield followed a hyperbolic profile under all tested conditions, with an initial rapid ‘washing’ phase followed by a slower ‘diffusion’ phase. Among five tested models, the simultaneous washing and diffusion model (Model II) provided the best fit, with the lowest corrected Akaike Information Criterion values, and an initial extraction rate up to 1.95 mL/(g min). Larger flasks were associated with faster washing‐stage kinetics, shortening the time to reach 80% of the total oil yield. Lower flower‐to‐water ratios (below 1:10 g/mL) increased washing efficiency and final yield. CONCLUSION Model II accurately captures LEO extraction kinetics and supports more effective process optimization. Tailoring flask size, distillation rate, and water content can significantly improve oil yield while reducing extraction time and thermal loss. These findings provide a useful basis for scaling up sustainable, high‐efficiency essential oil production.