Steam distillation is carried out by passing dry steam through the plant material, whereby the steam volatile compounds are volatilized, condensed, and collected in receivers. Steam distillation is considered a traditional technology for essential oil extraction.

The vapor is then condensed back into a liquid, and the resulting distillate is collected. This method is commonly employed in the extraction of essential oils from plants or the purification of certain organic compounds. The Steam Distillation Plant is a fundamental tool in laboratories and industries involved in chemical and botanical processing.

When the heating of a mixture of two or more immiscible liquids takes place, the vapour pressure exerted by the system increases. This is because it now becomes the sum of the vapour pressures of all of the components of the mixture combined together.