Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How is pine oil produced from pine trees?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
pine
A stand of stone pines (Pinus pinea) in Doñana National Park near Seville, Spain.
Pine oil is produced from pine trees through several industrial methods, primarily involving the processing of pitch-soaked wood or stumps.12
The production processes include:
- Steam Distillation: Pitch-soaked wood, typically from Pinus palustris and other species, is subjected to steam distillation to extract the oil.1
- Solvent Extraction: Wood material may be treated with hydrocarbon solvents, often followed by steam distillation.12
- Destructive Distillation: This method is also used to obtain the oil from wood.1
- Fractional Distillation: When processing salvaged pinewood (such as stumps), the wood is shredded and heated under pressure. The volatile components are driven off, condensed, and refined through fractional distillation to yield pine oil.2
- Synthetic Production: Pine oil can also be produced synthetically by converting terpene hydrocarbons, such as pinene, into terpene alcohols.13
Additionally, pine oil can be obtained by distilling the needles and cones of various pine species.1