3 Most Common Ways to Extract CBD

CBD extraction is a growing business we are seeing more regularly among our customers. That is no surprise since the government legislated commercial hemp and CBD products in the 2018 farm bills. General approval of medical marijuana in many states just increases the requirement for reliable CBD extraction methods.

Extracting the largest volume of CBD from biomass is more challenging than hooking up an organic oil extractor and pressing a couple of switches. On the other hand, it is not exceptionally complicated in concept. In this CBD Blog, we have discussed that the 3 most common techniques of CBD extraction have been used for other forms of plant oil extract for generations. Those methods are:

• Solvent extraction
• CO2 extraction
• Steam distillation

1. Solvent Extraction

Solvent extraction is a centuries-old practice of removing biomass from its preferable components by blending it with some form of solvent. A solvent is a product that breaks down the plant, thus releasing the compounds it contains.

Olive oil and similar botanical oils are natural solvents recognized for centuries. More recently, extraction operators looked to ethanol due to its higher effectiveness. Modern drivers prefer synthetic solvents thanks to their reduced expense. Butane and hexane are 2 preferred options.

Both benefits of solvent extraction are effectiveness and relative safety. On the disadvantage, solvent extraction often leads to less consistent CBD oils. Solvent extraction is also a bit more fragile contrasted to heavy steam purification and CO2 extraction.

Carbon dioxide Extraction

Carbon dioxide extraction is perhaps the most complex of the three CBD extraction techniques. It involves the use of supercritical CO2, a kind of CO2 that displays both gaseous and properties. Supercritical CO2 efficiently penetrates biomass to remove its desirable substances rather successfully.

Where steam purification relies upon warm and heavy steam, CO2 extraction depends upon heat strain. Supercritical CO2 acts almost as a solvent for different CBD oil from plant material. After that, it’s a matter of capturing the fluid and separating it into its different components.

CO2 extraction needs a substantial amount of knowledge and experience. It is also the most consistent method to extract CBD. Ultimately, CO2 extraction is efficient and rapid. 

Steam Distillation

Heavy steam distillation additionally dates back centuries. It is a  pretty simple procedure that incorporates heat and water to create vapor. That steam is introduced to the biomass in a purification tank. The heat causes the plant product to release its preferable compounds while the vapor carries those substances to the top of the tank where a condenser awaits.

The condenser creates a mix including the CBD substances in addition to condensed water from the steam. Lastly, the resulting fluid is distilled to divide the liquid blend. You end up with a full range of CBD products different from pure water.