Cannabis & Hemp Extraction 4 Benefits of Oil & Ethanol Recovery System

The cannabinoid industry has boomed in recent years, mainly down to the large number of health benefits that scientific studies continue to find. Extraction of CBD oil from both cannabis and hemp plants is now big business, and it’s not expected to slow down.

Recent reports indicate that the cannabidiol market is estimated to grow by 700 percent by 2020. A further report by market intelligence firm Hemp Business Journal projects that the CBD market will grow to $2.1 billion US by 2020 - a huge jump in value compared to last year's CBD market of $202 million.

This increased popularity has come after numerous scientific studies found that CBD can be used for the treatment of various mental and physical illnesses, and possess beneficial properties such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics.

How is CBD & THC oil extracted?

CBD & THC oil extraction is the process of creating cannabinoids in a pure and highly concentrated form that are suitable for human consumption. It can be extracted from the cannabis plant, but is more commonly extracted from the hemp plant due it its significantly lower levels of THC - the property that gives the “high” of cannabis.

The extraction of CBS can take place through various methods, the most common two are ethanol or CO2.

CO2 - The CO2 extraction requires expensive equipment that use pressurized CO2 (carbon dioxide) to extract CBD from the plant. Plants are filtered through a series of chambers that control temperature and pressure, and cannabinoids are on average isolated at a 90 percent purity.

Ethanol - Ethanol, on the other hand, extracts CBD or THC oil with up to 99 percent purity, far higher than that of C02. The extraction process introduces the solvent ethanol to the hemp or cannabis plant in order to extract the cannabinoids.

Cannabis Oil Tech by Maratek has a series of highly-regarded oil and ethanol extraction equipment. We’ve listed the top four benefits of using an oil and ethanol recovery system (OERS) when extracting CBD / THC oil from cannabis or hemp.

1 - Improved purity

OERS are high quality and that translates back into the final product. Ethanol extraction is capable of producing cannabis oil with up to 99 percent purity, meaning a higher quality end product. That’s far higher than alternative extraction methods, which generally only reach around 90 percent purity. It can also provide built in decarboxylation, providing a more useful / valuable final product.

2 - Batch or continuous systems

Oil and ethanol extraction equipment can come in both batch or continuous systems, depending on the scale of your company. A batch system will operate one cycle at a time, allowing you to control exactly when the equipment is running.

Continuous units, on the other hand, operate using continuous distillation methods and can come fully automated with self-cleaning oil recovery. These are great for companies with much larger production processes.

3 - Affordability

As well as offering a higher quality end-product, OERS equipment is much less expensive and far more efficient than using C02 systems, Rotovaps or butane for CBD oil production. OERS equipment, for example, is far cheaper than the expensive machinery used in C02 extraction.

4 - Non-labor intensive

Extraction equipment should not be labor intensive, and some oil and ethanol machines allow for full automation. Equipment can be fully automated and operated by a touchscreen interface that will start the automatic extraction process.

OERS equipment from Cannabis Oil Tech, for example, can run for hours or even for days without the need of an operator.

Cannabis Oil Tech has engineered its very own set of unique Oil & Ethanol Recovery Systems specifically for the cannabis industry, which can produce CBD oil with up to 99 percent – meaning a higher quality end product.

Want to learn more about our Oil & Ethanol Recovery Systems? Contact us today.