Different Types of Extraction Equipment

If you are looking to get the absolute best flavor or highest THC content possible, you are going to need extraction equipment. Everything from Butane Hash Oil (BHO)filled edibles to live resin and even rosin are all produced with different extraction techniques but the end result is similar; higher concentrations of THC in their product.

Most concentrate separates the resin from the plant material in an attempt to get a higher percentage of the product to be the active ingredient. Refiners use several solutions as solvents so they do not damage the resin during the extraction process.

The easiest and oldest way to refine cannabis is to create palm-butter by rubbing the still growing flowers with your hands. The resin deposited on the palm is then rubbed into a small ball and another bud is rubbed. The sticky trichomes congeal and create a paste similar to caramel or darker as they gather.

Palm-butter is a time consuming and inefficient method but has been a tradition for centuries in places like the Hindu Kush mountains of Northern India and Pakistan. Farmers have developed more advanced and efficient methods over the centuries to produce fine concentrates but industrial technologies have gotten into the mix recently. These machines and processes require specialized knowledge and safety procedures to be in place to prevent negative repercussions. Besides the chance of damaging the product itself, some of the methods for concentrating cannabis are outright deadly or prohibitively expensive.

Processes like BHO production and anything in closed-loop extraction have the possibility of exploding. For this reason, state and local guidelines have been very strict in what and how they allow extraction and anybody looking to engage in the practices outlined on this site need to abide by the rules and regulations for their location.

BHO

Let’s start off with the most common way for amateurs and old-timers to concentrate cannabis; Butane Hash Oil. This thick, dark substance is created by taking ground up plant matter and pushing large amounts of liquefied butane through it. The fluid binds with the THC molecules and strips them from the plant matter as it passes through. A screen prevents the plant matter from mixing with the butane/trichome solution.

The safest place to do this is in a well ventilated area like a field or yard with no dry brush or other fire hazards nearby. Creating BHO indoors can lead to a buildup of explosive fumes that has cost many people their lives over the years.

Care needs to be taken to ensure that the resulting goo is purged of any remaining butane before the THC is collected and packaged. The butane must be purged from the extracts or it could harm to those who smoke it. Use of negative pressure helps expand the extract and remove the last traces of the butane solvent.

The final product is one that can be used in cooking, vaping or to top a traditional flower bowl. The potency will typically range from 30% to 80% depending on how well it is done. The color is a key element of high quality BHO with lighter shades of gold or yellow being more desirable.

This method is highly dangerous and is even banned in most places due to the high chance of blowing yourself up with this EXPLOSIVE FLUID. We do not recommend this method but it is still commonly practiced.

Live Resin

Live resin production is much like the CO2 method except that it uses a plant that has not been dried and cured. It also uses cryogenic freezing to stabilize many of the more excitable terpenes and flavonoids present in fresh cannabis. In fact, many live resin producers process their plants mere minutes after harvesting.

Closed loop CO2 systems are also used for live resin extraction after the plant has been stabilized. At the end of the process, the resulting product has a deeper flavor profile than even standard CO2. Because the plant was not allowed to dry before being processed, fewer elements have had time to evaporate into the atmosphere and the resulting extract will be more flavorful.

Smoking alternatives such as edibles, tinctures and ointments are quickly growing in popularity. CannaFo.com put a multitude of choices at your fingertips, helping make the choice of alternatives easier for the consumer.

Did you know that concentrates are the fastest-growing segment of the consumer Cannabis market? On CannaFo.com, you can find the best information on shatter, oils, and waxes including options for manufacturing equipment and suppliers, market share and getting the most out of this high-profit arena.

CO2

To refine cannabis using CO2 requires high pressures and lots of energy but produces an amazing product. The gist of it is that the machine is a closed loop so there are no openings to the outside while pressure builds up until the CO2 that we normally breathe out as a gas becomes a liquid. That liquid is pushed through the cannabis and separates the active ingredients before the pressure is reduced and it becomes a gas again.

The plant matter is left in the starting chamber and discarded or repurposed later. The waxes and essential oils are automatically separated in the extraction process. The resulting product is normally in 2 separate containers at the end of the line. One container houses all of the liquids while the other end holds the waxes and other semi-solids.

Because CO2 is a non-hazardous gas at room temperature and pressure, there is no need to purge the product of any solvents. This means that the flavor and smell of the product remains longer and stronger because essential oils are not being cooked/evaporated off.

 

Cannafo News Team

Cannafo news administration team.