Cannabis Testing Laboratory Instruments and Consumables
Extraction and Processing Methods for CBD Production
Ethanol, Butane, or Supercritical CO2: Which is Best for Cannabis Extraction? Which is best specifically for Hemp extraction ? What about Cold Extraction ? We can help !!
Now your plants are harvested and you have prepared them for processing. The end product that you desire determines your method for extraction. Dragonfly Technologies can help you decide what extractor is best for you !! You have several choices:
Now your plants are harvested and you have prepared them for processing. The end product that you desire determines your method for extraction. Dragonfly Technologies can help you decide what extractor is best for you !! You have several choices:
Critical and Super Critical CO2 Extractors
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The primary reason to use CO2 extraction is to create pure, clean, high quality CBD oil that is safe to produce with very little to no post processing. CO2 is generally considered the gold standard for extraction, creating the highest efficiencies in commercial processing. You will extract the highest percentage of CBD from your biomass without the concern of residual solvents. CO2 is efficient, inexpensive and is a “tunable” solvent. The ability to “tune” the extraction process cannot be overstated - especially with a system that will separate constituents during an extraction. CO2 is also a sanitizing agent, prolonging shelf life and with the proper system and environment, yields food and medical grade oils.
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Hydrocarbon Extraction
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Hydrocarbon extraction is popular because you can process large quantities of biomass in less time than by CO2 extraction to produce CBD oil. Further it is favored for its non-polarity, which allows the extractor to capture the desired cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis without co-extracting undesirables including chlorophyll and plant metabolites. These extraction processes typically involve butane, propane, pentane or hexane and are highly combustible. Because of this, your state may require special blast-proof rooms and environmentally safe solvent disposal methods.
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Ethanol Extraction and Cold Extraction
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Ethanol extraction uses 200-proof grain alcohol that contains no chemicals or additives. Ethanol as a solvent has been moving up as a third category of solvent of choice for producers manufacturing high-quality cannabis extracts. Ethanol extraction can be used to extract essential oils from plant materials. Once this extracting process is complete, the alcohol evaporates and the pure concentrated essential oil is left. The biggest hurdle is ethanol’s polarity. A polar solvent such as ethanol will readily mix with water and dissolve water soluble molecules. Chlorophyll is one of those compounds that will easily co-extract when using ethanol as a solvent. When a concentrate retains chlorophyll, it will introduce a dark coloration and a bitter, grassy flavor that tastes like a freshly mowed lawn. This can be remedied through further post extraction processes.
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Dry Sift
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Dry sift is a method in which the whole flower is processed by sieving and sifting using a series of screens so that trichomes fall through and are gathered into a powdery concentrate. The claim is that this process captures more of the many compounds that cannabis plants manufacture. CO2 or solvent based extraction methods concentrates can lack the full range of terpenoids and other substances contained in the whole bud. Dry sift has more trichomes and that’s why dry sift fans claim it has better taste, and more medical benefits than other types of concentrates.
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