Cannabis products are growing in popularity and demand. Medical research shows that cannabis-based products have numerous health benefits, from helping patients with chronic pain to treating anxiety and depression with CBD.
Today there is a wide variety of cannabis products on the market. It would be ideal to familiarize yourself with all the different kinds of cannabis extraction methods and make sure you select the right equipment. This requires research about the different processes and the cannabis extraction equipment available for cannabis oil.
Each method is different, have their pros and cons, and some even require specialized machinery. Which Procedure you use depends on certain factors. This includes things like safety, yield, extraction time, efficiency, complexity, and the solvent being used.
As you can see, you can control the quality and potency of the final product by knowing how your cannabis oil is extracted. Keep in mind as well the various extraction instruments which include butane, CO2, ethanol, and solventless. When you want to select the right equipment for your facility the type of extraction you plan to perform is an important part.
The Carbon Dioxide Method Of Cannabis Extraction
Using CO2 to extract cannabis is one of the most widely used methods today. The CO2 is used to extract the useful components from the cannabis plant. What are the useful components?
- CBD
- Useful cannabinoids
- Terpenes (therapeutic properties)
There are two types of CO2 extractions and they both use the same type of cannabis extraction equipment. The only difference between supercritical and subcritical CO2 extraction involves using different temperature and pressure conditions.
The Butane Method Of Cannabis Extraction Makes Use Of Hydrocarbons
· Butane
· Methane
· Propane
The process involves converting the hydrocarbons into a liquid. Once in liquid form, it’s able to be used for extraction. Closed-loop extraction equipment is used while an operator adjusts pressure requirements.
Hydrocarbons Extraction Process and Equipment
- Recovery Cylinder – This area houses the solvent used in the extraction process (hydrocarbon)
- Material Column – The cannabis plant is placed here. Solvent passes through the material column extracting the useful cannabis compounds.
- Collection Vessel – The hydrocarbon and extracted components are collected in the collection vessel.
- Warm Water Bath – To preserve useful compounds from the extraction. This is achieved through controlled heating conditions
- Molecular Sieve – Some lingering moisture from the cannabis extracted oil is removed through this process.
- Condensing Coil – Vaporized hydrocarbon is pushed to the recovery cylinder to be reused.