Features of Pilotech Extraction Machine
- Modular multi-solvent compatibility from water to ethanol
- Supports low-temperature vacuum distillation to prevent thermal degradation
- Integrated ultrasonic assistance can enhance mass transfer during extraction
- 21 CFR Part 11 Compliant Data Integrity and Audit Trails
- A variety of capacity options ranging from 10L to 200L
Your Leading Extraction Machine Manufacturer
Pilotech designs and manufactures versatile extraction machines engineered to isolate high-purity bioactive compounds from botanicals, traditional herbs, and natural feedstocks. They achieve solid-liquid separation using solvents such as water and ethanol, along with various extraction methods. They are commonly used for the extraction of active plant compounds, herbal medicines, and natural products.
Pilotech has 25 years of experience in the R&D and manufacturing of laboratory equipment, holding more than 50 patents and 5 software copyrights. Our products have been exported to more than 70 countries and regions, including the United States, South Korea, Singapore, and Germany, and we serve over 6,000 customers. Our extraction machines come in various configurations, including laboratory and pilot-scale models, as well as closed-loop systems, providing you with a wealth of options. If you have specific requirements, please feel free to contact us at any time. We will provide you with customized system solutions.
Extracts active botanical compounds from herbs, roots, leaves, and other botanical materials using solvents or heat. High efficiency and precise control make it perfect for natural medicine, herbal extracts, and dietary supplement production.
Uses solvents to dissolve target compounds from plant materials. Equipped with an explosion-proof system, suitable for compounds with limited water solubility, supporting extraction of pharmaceuticals, botanicals, nutraceuticals, and natural ingredients.
Uses water as the extraction medium, providing a simple, safe, non-toxic, and low-cost approach for water-soluble compounds. Commonly applied to herbal medicine, roots, leaves, flowers, and other botanical raw materials.
Operates under reduced pressure to lower the boiling point of solvents and enable extraction at controlled temperatures. Suitable for vitamins, enzymes, and temperature-sensitive botanical concentrates requiring gentler processing.
Specialized steam or hydro-distillation system isolating essential oils from herbs, flowers, seeds, and other plant materials. Preserves natural fragrance profiles, widely used in cosmetics, perfumes, aromatherapy, and flavor manufacturing.
Extraction Machine Specifications
The technical parameters outlined below reflect standard and customizable configurations across our lab and pilot extraction series. Specifications vary by model and configuration.
| Parameter | Specification |
| Equipment Type | Laboratory and Pilot-Scale Extraction Machine |
| Extraction Tank Capacity | 10–200 L |
| Material Feeding Capacity | 0.3–20 kg/batch |
| Extraction Methods | Water Extraction, Solvent Extraction, Heat Reflux, Percolation, Vacuum Extraction |
| Concentration | Atmospheric and Vacuum Concentration |
| Vacuum Degree | 0 to -0.08 MPa |
| Temperature Control Accuracy | ±2°C |
| Heating Method | Jacket Heating / Heat Transfer Oil Heating |
| Heating Power | Approx. 4.5–40 kW |
| Cooling Water Consumption | Approx. 0.5–3 t/h |
| Cooling Water Pressure | <0.3 MPa |
| Condenser Area | Approx. 0.5–3 m² |
| Main Material | SUS304 Stainless Steel and SUS316 Stainless Steel |
| Control System | PID Temperature Control |
| Solvent Recovery | Available |
| Volatile Oil Recovery | Available |
| Extraction and Concentration | Integrated or Separate Tanks |
| Ultrasonic Extraction | Optional |
| Applications | Herbs, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Plant Extracts, Tea, Coffee, Natural Products, Food Ingredients |
How Does an Extraction Machine Work?
The operating mechanism of extraction equipment has three core stages.
Dissolution
The extraction machine injects an extraction medium, such as water, ethanol, or supercritical carbon dioxide, at a specific temperature and pressure. The medium penetrates the cell walls of the raw material, dissolving and carrying out the target active ingredients while leaving the inactive solids behind in the extraction vessel. The target compounds are transferred into the extraction medium together with other soluble components, followed by downstream separation and purification.
Separation
The extract containing the active ingredients flows through the separation unit. At the separation unit, the system disrupts the phase equilibrium by adjusting the temperature or pressure, causing the target extracts to precipitate, which are then collected.
Recovery
The separated extraction medium is reclaimed by the system and restored to its initial state, enabling its recycling within a closed-loop system.
Different Extraction Methods for Extraction Machines
Vacuum Extraction
Vacuum extraction reduces the absolute pressure within the extraction machines using a vacuum pump. Since the boiling point of a liquid decreases as pressure decreases, vacuum extraction allows the extraction solvent to boil, evaporate, and circulate at a temperature far below its boiling point at atmospheric pressure.
This extraction method significantly reduces the risk of thermal degradation of heat-sensitive components like vitamins and enzymes. It also helps reduce the system’s energy consumption and lower operating costs.
Water Extraction vs. Solvent Extraction
| Dimension | Water Extraction | Solvent Extraction |
| Principle | Uses highly polar water as the solvent to dissolve water-soluble compounds (such as polysaccharides, glycosides, tannins) through decoction or percolation. | Uses organic solvents of varying polarities (such as ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, n-hexane) to dissolve target compounds. |
| Benefits | Low cost, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and free from explosion hazards, requiring low equipment hazard ratings (non-explosion-proof). | Broad polarity extraction range (lipophilic to medium polarity), high extraction efficiency, easy solvent recovery/evaporation, and relatively lower energy consumption during concentration. |
| Limitations | Extremely low efficiency for lipophilic compounds; water’s high boiling point leads to high energy consumption during evaporation/concentration; high extract rate with excessive impurities (proteins, starches). | Requires explosion-proof design (ATEX/Class 1 Div 1); strict solvent residue controls; higher solvent procurement and environmental treatment costs. |
| Suitable For | Plant polysaccharides, alkaloid salts, water-soluble glycosides, herbal decoctions, etc. | Flavonoids, essential oils, fat-soluble vitamins, alkaloid free bases, cannabinoids, etc. |
Heat Reflux Extraction vs. Percolation Extraction
| Dimension | Heat Reflux Extraction | Percolation Extraction |
| Principle | The solvent is heated to boiling and evaporates. The vapor condenses into fresh solvent via a condenser and flows back into the extraction tank, achieving dynamic, continuous reflux leaching. | Plant powder is packed into a percolator. Fresh solvent is continuously added from top to bottom, trickling slowly through the material bed via gravity or slight pressure. |
| Benefits | Maintains a high concentration gradient; reduces solvent consumption through recycling; offers fast extraction speeds and high yields. | Operates via dynamic cold or warm maceration without continuous high heating; ensures full solid-liquid contact and protects heat-sensitive compounds from degradation. |
| Limitations | Requires continuous heating, making it unsuitable for extremely heat-sensitive compounds; high-starch materials may gelatinize and cause clogging. | Requires higher solvent volume; flow rate must be strictly controlled to prevent channeling; relatively time-consuming process. |
| Suitable For | Heat-stable phytochemicals whose solubility increases significantly with rising temperatures. | Heat-sensitive compounds, volatile oils, high-value botanicals, or pre-treatment and extraction of high-viscosity extracts. |
What Are the Main Components of an Extraction Machine?
Extraction Tank / Vessel
The extraction tank is the core vessel in which solid or liquid raw materials react with solvents. The vessel may be pressurized or at atmospheric pressure. It is equipped with a jacket for temperature control via a circulating hot oil or cold water system.
Condenser and Heat Exchanger
Used for the cooling and reflux of solvent vapor generated by evaporation. Or for preheating or precooling the solvent entering the system.
Solvent Recovery and Evaporator Section
Includes an evaporation dish or a thin-film concentrator. The solvent is separated from the target extract via vacuum distillation, allowing for subsequent solvent recovery and recycling.
Separation and Fractionation Column
By using differences in density or the principle of sedimentation, the mixed extraction solution is physically separated into fractions based on different components, such as waxes, pigments, and target products.
Precision Control System
The control system can monitor and control temperature, pressure, flow rate, stirring speed, and other parameters in real time. This helps ensure the reliability of laboratory and pilot-scale data.
Filtration and Winterization Units
Equipped with built-in porous filter cartridges or dewaxing crystallization kettles. They can remove impurities such as plant fibers, particulate matter, and oil and wax residues from the extraction flow path.
You Can Use an Extraction Machine For
Pharmaceuticals and Botanical Drugs
Regulatory requirements for APIs regarding batch consistency, solvent residues, and GMP compliance are extremely stringent.
Our extraction machine is constructed from 316L food-grade stainless steel and features a dead-space-free design. It supports CIP/SIP (clean-in-place/sterilize-in-place) and is equipped with precise temperature and pressure control. You can also add optional data audit trail functionality as needed. These significantly reduce product contamination, metal ion contamination, and other issues, helping ensure product compliance.
Fine Chemicals and Herbal Extracts
Some high-value natural materials are highly prone to decomposition and deterioration during traditional thermal extraction. Furthermore, this process involves high solvent consumption and high costs.
However, low-temperature ultrasonic-assisted, vacuum, or carbon dioxide extraction technologies can achieve efficient separation and extraction of active ingredients with a low loss rate.
Functional Food, Flavors, and Fragrances
The natural aromatic compounds in certain food products are highly sensitive to degradation. Since water extraction and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction are entirely physical processes, they are particularly suitable for processing flavor-rich foods. These methods leave no solvent residues and preserve the characteristic aroma and bioactivity of natural products, helping to meet consumers’ high expectations for these products.
The Difference Between Laboratory Extraction Machines and Industrial Extraction Equipment
| Dimension | Lab and Pilot-Scale Extraction Equipment | Industrial-Scale Extraction Equipment |
| Capacity and Throughput | 10L to 200L. Batch-oriented, suitable for small-scale validation, process screening, and multi-SKU testing. | 500L to over 10,000L. Continuous or high-volume batch-oriented, optimized for single-product mass production. |
| Core Engineering Focus | Flexibility and precision. Focuses on precise CPP (Critical Process Parameter) control, data acquisition, and modular adaptability. | Throughput and unit economics. Focuses on high volumetric efficiency, thermal integration, and minimizing operational cost per kg. |
| Footprint and Mobility | Skid-mounted, compact footprint. Plug-and-play design suitable for standard R&D labs or pilot facilities. | Fixed, site-erected engineering installation. Requires heavy foundations, explosion-proof zoning, and dedicated utilities. |
| Process Scalability and Scale-up Risk | Mitigates fluid dynamics risks, wall-effect thermal lags, and channeling issues before full-scale deployment. | Inflexible once commissioned. Altering flow geometry or solvent dynamics requires costly engineering re-validation. |
| Automation and Data Logging | Highly configurable PLC/SCADA with granular sensor arrays for continuous real-time data logging and DOE (Design of Experiments) formulation. | Automated PLC/DCS focused on routine sequence control, safety interlocks, and steady-state operational stability. |
| Compliance and Qualification | Emphasizes IQ/OQ/PQ validation support, 21 CFR Part 11 data integrity, and rapid cleaning validation for multi-product use. | Emphasizes facility-wide GMP / ATEX / Class 1 Div 1 environmental compliance and pressure vessel code (ASME/PED) certifications. |
| Maintenance and CIP/SIP | Easy teardown, visual inspection ports, and fast manual or semi-automated CIP to prevent batch cross-contamination. | Fully automated, closed-loop CIP/SIP systems designed for prolonged continuous runs between scheduled maintenance turnarounds. |
| CapEx and OpEx Structure | Lower CapEx, flexible OpEx. High investment value relative to R&D risk reduction; lower utility infrastructure demands. | High CapEx, optimized OpEx. High initial capital for infrastructure, but minimizes labor, solvent loss, and energy cost per unit output. |
Difference between the Automatic Extraction Machine and the Standard Extraction Machine
| Dimension | Standard Extraction Machine | Automatic Extraction Machine |
| Control System | Manual or semi-automated operation requiring manual monitoring of valves, heating elements, and pressure regulators. | Fully automated PLC/SCADA control with digital touchscreen interfaces and automated sequence executions. |
| Parameter Precision | Manual temperature and pressure adjustments. | Closed-loop PID control dynamically maintaining strict parameters. |
| Data Logging | Manual record-keeping of batch logs, timing, and sensor readings. | Automated real-time data acquisition and storage, supporting 21 CFR Part 11 audit trails for DOE formulation. |
| Safety Interlocks | Reliance on manual safety procedures and mechanical pressure-relief valves. | Automated safety interlocks, over-pressure detection, and auto-shutoff mechanisms. |
| Reproducibility | Batch-to-batch variations due to manual timing and step execution delays. | Recipe-driven execution ensuring identical processing conditions and high batch-to-batch consistency. |
How to Choose the Right Extraction Machine?
Properties of the Target Compound
First, you need to determine the heat sensitivity, polarity, and molecular weight of the target compound. If the compound you want to extract is heat-sensitive, you should first consider vacuum extraction or a CO₂ extraction machine. For water-soluble, polar compounds, we recommend using water extraction or a reflux system.
Feed Material Characteristics
Different materials are suitable for different extraction machines. Is your raw material a dry powder, fresh leaves, or a highly viscous resin? Select the appropriate extraction machine based on the material’s particle size, moisture content, and other characteristics to prevent clogging of the high-pressure system or flow issues in the extraction channel.
Scale-up Factor
If mass production is required in the future, process scale-up must also be taken into account. Based on the baseline data from the laboratory, you can select reactor vessel shapes (such as those with the same aspect ratio) and piping designs that are linearly scalable, providing a solid foundation for future mass production.
Compliance
You need to verify the laboratory’s safety requirements and compliance requirements in different regions. Generally, if organic solvents such as ethanol or hexane are to be used, the extraction machine must comply with ATEX or Class 1, Division 1 explosion-proof standards. Pharmaceutical-grade R&D equipment must be accompanied by IQ/OQ certification documents and proof of 316L material composition. Pilotech can provide you with all relevant documentation. If needed, we also support additional testing.
Other Factors
For R&D institutions, we recommend that you first consider skid-mounted systems that support multifunctional modules, including online dewaxing, ultrasonic assistance, and staged condensation separation. This design can accommodate various research needs and help reduce long-term equipment costs.
Common Problems When Using an Extraction Machine
Low Extraction Yield
A low extraction yield may be due to the particle size of the feed material being too large, preventing the solvent from penetrating. It may also be caused by an excessively high solvent flow rate, resulting in insufficient solid-liquid contact time. If both the particle size and solvent flow rate are appropriate, the issue may be that the temperature or pressure has deviated from the target phase range, making it difficult to separate the target substance.
You can grind the material into a finer particle size to facilitate solvent penetration. You can also reduce the solvent circulation flow rate and increase the static soaking time. If these two measures are ineffective, please calibrate the sensor and reset the phase-equilibrium parameters.
System Clogging or Choking
The blockage may be caused by fine particles of material that were not completely filtered out and entered the valve along with the fluid. If the material being processed has a high wax content, the blockage may be caused by crystallization in the low-temperature separation section. It may also be due to the material gelatinizing and clumping during the percolation process.
You can install a sintered filter at the feed end to ensure that fine particles are completely filtered out. For materials prone to crystallization, you can opt for a heated diverter valve or add a temperature-controlled jacket. Materials with high starch content tend to gelatinize when heated. In this case, you can use a stepwise heating method or perform a pre-treatment to remove some starch.
Pressure Loss or Leakage
Pressure loss is typically caused by corrosion of the high-pressure seal by solvents or aging due to high temperatures. If the seal is intact, the problem may be wear on the valve seat or air leakage into the vacuum pump or plunger pump head.
You need to regularly inspect and replace the seals and the high-pressure needle valve/ball valve cores. You should also check the feed line for leaks and bleed the pump.
Thermal Degradation
Thermal degradation is often caused by excessively high local temperatures in the evaporation or extraction sections, or by the material remaining on the heat transfer surface for too long. If you are using a vacuum extraction machine, it may also be due to insufficient vacuum in the system, resulting in an elevated boiling point.
You can lower the temperature of the jacket heat transfer fluid and switch to gentler heating. Alternatively, you can increase the circulation flow rate of the material or use thin-film evaporation. For vacuum systems, carefully check the pumping performance of the vacuum pump and increase the vacuum level as needed.
High Impurity Content
It is possible that the extraction solvent lacks selectivity, causing pigments, oils, and macromolecular fibers to be extracted together. Furthermore, during the final separation stage, temperature and pressure controls were either too simple or too drastic, preventing staged sedimentation and resulting in impurities and active ingredients mixing and accumulating together.
You need to optimize the solvent so that it precisely dissolves only the target components while reducing the extraction of other substances. Additionally, set up multiple extraction vessels with different temperature and pressure settings to enable staged collection, thereby obtaining a higher-purity extract.
Key factors affecting extraction efficiency in laboratory and pilot-scale operations include the compatibility between solvent polarity and the target compound, the solid-to-liquid ratio, system temperature and pressure control, and the particle size of the feedstock. In addition, solvent flow rate and contact time directly determine the mass transfer rate. For pilot-scale extraction machines, stirring speed and jacket heat transfer efficiency are also important factors in ensuring high yields and batch-to-batch reproducibility.
We do not recommend using the same piece of extraction equipment for both processes. Solvent extraction relies on closed-loop systems and explosion-proof systems. In contrast, solvent-free extraction methods, such as hot-press rosin extraction or water-ice extraction, rely primarily on mechanical pressure, temperature, or physical centrifugation. Although some multifunctional pilot-scale platforms feature interchangeable modules, laboratories typically use dedicated equipment due to cleaning validation and the risk of cross-contamination.
Laboratory- and pilot-scale herbal extraction machines can be integrated with multi-stage sintered metal filters, bag filters, and bag-type deep-bed filtration columns. To enable inline winterization, the equipment can be equipped with a crystallization vessel and cryogenic coils. Combined with micron-level inline filter cartridges, this system directly precipitates and retains lipids and waxes within the extraction flow path. This significantly reduces subsequent purification time and helps you improve production efficiency.
Solvent-based laboratory extraction machines typically require ATEX or Class 1, Division 1 explosion-proof certification, explosion-proof electrical standards (UL/CE), and pressure vessel certification. For pharmaceutical-grade laboratories, the equipment must also provide proof of SS316L material composition, a declaration of FDA-compliant seals, and support for the IQ/OQ validation documentation system. You can send us your required certifications, and Pilotech will actively cooperate. However, these compliance documents will increase the cost of the equipment.
While pilot-scale data does not scale up in a strictly linear fashion, it offers exceptionally reliable process parameters for commercial production. Transitioning directly to industrial scale poses challenges like diminished heat-transfer efficiency, fluid channeling, and altered flow behaviors. Pilot-scale equipment employs a structure scaled proportionally to that of full-scale equipment and follows the same fluid dynamics principles. Through testing, it precisely identifies optimal key process parameters, including temperature, pressure, and solvent dosage. This helps avoid technical deviations and provides accurate, reliable data to support subsequent full-scale engineering design.