Report on Citronella
INTRODUCTION:
Citronella oil is an essential oil
obtained from the leaves and stems
of different species of Cymbopogon.
The oil is used extensively as a
source of perfumery chemicals such
as citronellal, citronellol, and
geraniol.
The essential oil can be used to treat
rheumatism and body aches, but it
can also get rid of acne and repel
mosquitoes. Citronella oil can be
used as raw materials for the soap, Plantation Age-2 Month (Pic-1)
toothpaste and medicine industries, botanical pesticides such as fungicides, bactericides, insecticides and
nematicides, and currently in Indonesia citronella is starting to be developed as a fuel oil bio additive. This
is the reason Indonesian government promoting citronella and promoting farmer to grow and distil
citronella. Even in Sulawesi Island government has programme to migrate the java people to Sulawesi
Island and provide 2hectare land to grow citronella for their livelihood.
In Indonesia Citronella essential oils used to clean the historical sites/ archaeological sites. Citronella Oil is
emulsified with water and a kind of Surfactant. After some time, they can easily be removed with a small
bundle of dried coconut fronds. This tool is inexpensive and can easily be found in tropical Southeast Asia.
The tool is used in this case because it is hard enough to scrape off the growth, but soft enough to not
scratch the stone. Lastly, the surface must be rinsed with clean water to remove any remaining emulsion
or biological growth residues.
On 9 April 2021, the Director-General of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, was invited to Central Java
for a ceremony. It was a ceremony to hand over the intellectual property rights of the use of citronella
essential oil to remove biodeterioration from stone cultural heritage surfaces, initiated by the BCO to the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. This ceremony,
published on social media, is a way to encourage small-to-medium scale essential oil industries to keep
producing, because the demand will eventually increase as more government agencies and the wider
public begin to use this new product. We are sure that the exploration, research and development of
alternative environmentally friendly conservation materials is one of the answers to promoting sustainable
conservation practices.
Citronella oil is classified in trade into two chemotypes:
1. Ceylon type Main Origin-Sri Lanka,
CAS: 89998-15-2/8000-29-1,
EINECS: 289-753-6
Botanical Source: Cymbopogon nardus Rendle
Main components: citronellal (5–15%),
geraniol (18–20%) and geranyl acetate (2%),
citronellol (6–8%), limonene (9–11%), and
methyl isoeugenol (7–11%).
2. Java type Main Origin-Indonesia,
CAS: 91771-61-8/ 8000-29-1, EINECS: 294-954-7
Botanical Source: Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt
Main components: citronellal (32–45%),
geraniol (21–30%) and geranyl acetate (3–8%),
citronellol (9–15%), limonene (1–7%).
Plantation Age-6 Months (Pic-3)
Plantation Age-4 Months (Pic-4)
AREAS AND CAPACITY
Essential oil-producing plant that is
obtained through distillation. In the
world of oil trade, it is better known
as Citronella Oil, in Indonesia it is
better known as "Citronella Oil of
Java".
In Indonesia citronella oil is an export
commodity with its major
production centers in Java Island,
Sumatra Island and Sulawesi Island and now start on Kalimantan Island too. In an effort to improve the
quality of Indonesian Citronella oil, several superior
varieties have been released by the Ministry of
Agriculture, including Seraiwangi 1, Sitrona 1
Agribun and Sitrona 2 Agribun. The two main
producers of Java citronella are China and Indonesia.
China annual production varies between 800 and
1,500 metric tons, and Indonesia production
between 1500-2200 metric tons from last 2-3 years,
before it was around only 800-1000 metric ton but
a good support from local association and
government the production reached almost more
than double from earlier.
Citronella plants can grow from the lowlands to an
altitude of 1,200 m above sea level. To get good leaf
growth, a humid climate and sufficient light
intensity are needed because it will affect the oil
content. Optimal growth in fertile, loose soil rich in
humus and not flooded.
Cutting and loading for Distillation (Pic-5)
Weighing the leaves (Pic-6)
PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS
Citronella grows in clumps producing a
perennial aromatic grass. The first
harvest is around 6 to 8 months,
thereafter every 75- 90 days from April
to late December. The leaves are cut to
around 5 cm from the base of the plant.
The plant produces a better yield
between years 2 and 3 of a 4-year life
span, with yields of around 10 kg per
hectare. Cutting is always undertaken
first thing in the morning to obtain the
maximum yield or around 0.8%, this is
then left to dry for 4-8 hours to remove
the excess moisture before distilling.
The processing of the citronella takes
place mainly at farm level. Cultivation
and distillation is undertaken
by farmers, and the crop is an important
cash income source for them. About 40-
50 thousand people (Average 4 person
in a family) are engaged in the citronella
business in the
producing areas. The total cultivation
area is about 12,000-15,000 hectares. Filling to Distillation Unit-A (Pic-7)
Total grass production for an average oil
production of 2000 metric tons is
around 250,000 metric tons, i.e., 10,000
hectares and 12,000 farmer families,
each family comprising a minimum of
four members. The number of farmers
could be doubled if non-full-time
citronella farmers are taken into
account, thus taking the number of
people involved in the citronella
business up to 40-50 thousand.
Filling to Distillation Unit-B (Pic-8)
Collecting oil after distillation (Pic-9) Removing spent herbage after distillation (Pic-10)
THE END…!
