## 4 Conclusions  
The interest in EO from _C. japonica_ wastes by the scientific community and EO markets is rapidly increasing. In fact, due to their chemical variability and high abundance, these EOs can find applications in several industries with many approaches and, therefore, are of great economic, environmental, and social importance.  
Several studies show that the spatial and temporal changes in environmental factors and the genetic background of the plant can influence not only the yield but also the qualitative and quantitative variations in components of _C. japonica_ leaf EO. On the contrary, few studies have reported the effect of different distillation methods on these parameters. Furthermore, it should be highlighted that, to the best of our knowledge, the HD and WSD methods have not previously been compared in _C. japonica_ EO. Thus, our study presents important information in this issue.  
Based on our results, it was clearly demonstrated that the different distillation methods used significantly affect the yield, color, and chemical composition of the Azorean _C. japonica_ fresh leaf EO, as reported in similar studies with other aromatic plants. In fact, the EO-HD sample revealed a yield that was about three times higher than that of EO-WSD and higher than that with several _C. japonica_ leaf EO-HD samples from other origins. Furthermore, the EO-HD sample showed a characteristic pale-yellow color, while the EO-WSD sample was colorless. Concerning the EO composition, the major components were MH \(\alpha\)-pinene and sabinene, regardless of the distillation method used (HD, WSD, or SD), together accounting for about 60% of the total content of identified EO components. A similar chemotype pattern was found in the literature for _C. japonica_ leaf EO-HD samples from Corsica Island, Reunion Island, and Japan. However, the presence and/or relative contents of other biologically important EO components varied significantly. The EO-HD sample was richer in elemol, isomers of eudesmol (mainly \(\alpha\)-eudesmol), and phyllocladane; the EO-WSD sample was richer in terpinen-4-ol, \(p\)-cymene, and \(\gamma\)-terpinene; and the EO-SD sample was richer in limonene and \(8\)-\(3\)-carene. Nonetheless, in general, a more similar pattern was observed between the EO-WSD and EO-SD compositions, except in the OCM group. Moreover, both samples, when compared with EO-HD, were richer in \(\alpha\)-pinene and limonene. Furthermore, the EO-WSD and EO-SD samples contained more components than the EO-HD sample, in decreasing order as follows: EO-SD > EO-WSD > EO-HD.  
Future research on the bioactivity of these chemically different EO samples is needed in order to improve the industrial applications of Azorean _C. japonica_ leaf EO by creating new high value-added products, thus contributing to the local circular economy.  
[PERSON] conceptualized the idea and wrote the manuscript with contributions from [PERSON], who supervised the laboratory work and the manuscript preparation. [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] reviewed the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
Not applicable.  
We are grateful to Marques, S.A. from Sao Miguel, Azores, who provided the _Cryptomeria japonica_ samples.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.