By Lucas Anderson, RA^®, EOT^®

We just finished our 2024 spring CE event, packed with amazing information and speakers. We started the weekend with Jean-Claude Villeneuve from BoreA Canada, who shared the cyclical processes involved in the company’s distillation operation. He explained how it integrates with the local power plant to provide biomass for burning, producing steam used by BoreA to distill essential oils and generate electricity for the grid. They only harvest plants and trees from within a 50 km radius, contributing to a reduced carbon footprint and reducing it overall by up to 65% compared to traditional steam distillation setups.

On Saturday afternoon, Eric Scott Bessalsmith shared his process for distilling high-desert conifers, removing many machines to respectfully extract the oils. While presenting, he had a run of ponderosa pine distilling in the background.

Sunday started with Benoît Roger speaking primarily about oxidation in essential oils. He delved deep into the subject, explaining how oxidation products are tested, some of which can't be revealed through GC testing, and how some occur naturally in other essential oils. We saw a small test he conducted on five essential oils in the lab: orange, lavandin, balsam fir, lemongrass and patchouli. The results showed significant oxidation in all oils after 2.5 months of opening vial lids and being stored in clear glass vials in front of a bright window. He also briefly explained the GC test procedure.

We concluded the weekend with Mark Webb’s presentation on CO2-extracted lipids. While he explained the process and the use of CO2, he delved deeper into regular volatiles but spent most of the time covering lipid extracts, similar to carrier oils but with significant differences in price point and benefits. Due to the extraction nature, he pointed out their longer shelf life and reduced susceptibility to oxidation when stored properly.

The weekend event was fantastic, enlightening, and well-received. We’re grateful to the speakers for their presentations and appreciate everyone who attended. Once the videos are ready, we’ll make the recordings available for purchase to those who couldn’t join us for the live event.

About the author: About the author: Lucas Anderson, RA^®, EOT^®, with seven years' experience as an aromatherapist, has been focussing on men's health and helping men achieve freedom. He has a passion for health as close to nature as possible and currently works with more than 130 essential oils. Located in Edmonton, Lucas is past president of the CFA and is currently serving on the CAOA board of directors. You can learn more about Lucas at www.brotherhoodaromatics.com.