• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Write For Us
  • Our Team
Extraction Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Botanical Extraction
    • Cannabinoids
    • Psychedelics
    • Nutraceutical
    • Product Refinement
  • Industry News
    • Business
    • Sustainability
    • Safety & Compliance
    • Partners
  • Extraction Technology
    • Equipment
    • Methods
    • Solvents
    • DIY Extraction
    • Analytical Techniques
  • Medical Research
  • Glossary
  • Business Directory
  • Botanical Extraction
    • Cannabinoids
    • Psychedelics
    • Nutraceutical
    • Product Refinement
  • Industry News
    • Business
    • Sustainability
    • Safety & Compliance
    • Partners
  • Extraction Technology
    • Equipment
    • Methods
    • Solvents
    • DIY Extraction
    • Analytical Techniques
  • Medical Research
  • Glossary
  • Business Directory
No Result
View All Result
Extraction Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Botanical Extraction

The Risks Associated With Butane Explosion

Jason Collins by Jason Collins
February 3, 2023
in Botanical Extraction
The Risks Associated With Butane Explosion

In recent years butane extraction has become a prevalent method to separate cannabis constituents to create products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), terpenes and flavonoids. Since butane is a non-polar solvent, unwanted compounds such as chlorophyll are less likely to be extracted.
Due to this, it’s often referred to by growers as one of the cleanest and efficient extraction method, but it is not without risks. 

Unfortunately, using butane to extract hash oil is extremely dangerous because butane is a highly volatile and flammable gas. When misused during hash oil extraction, it can cause explosions leading to numerous risks. Countless butane explosions have occurred during hash oil extraction endeavors at cannabis oil labs in the last few years.

READ ALSO

Collaborative Approaches in Botanical Extraction: Bridging Science and Industry

Inside the Betel Nut High: Exploring the Mind-Bending Effects of Areca Catechu

Here we’ll discuss these risks and the BHO extraction process to give you an idea of what could go wrong.

The Risky Open-Blasting Butane Hash Oil Extraction Process

The butane hash oil extraction process has become commonplace despite what you might have been led to believe. 

This extraction process is simple and easy to learn, doesn’t cost a fortune, and the final products can be obtained easily. One reason it’s dangerous is that most people are able to learn how to complete this process online.

Ultimately, the butane hash oil extraction process might be easy to learn, but it’s risky, and before you can learn the risks of butane explosion, it’s an excellent idea to understand how this process works. Have a look at our brief list detailing the butane extraction process below: 

  • An extractor tube is bought or made at home out of 1.75” diameter and 1” long PVC piping, steel piping, or glass piping. Also, end caps are needed if steel or PVC piping is used. Once the piping has been constructed by following an open blasting diagram, the finished appearance should resemble a ‘pipe bomb.’ 
  • Once the extractor tube is created, a filter will be added to the bottom of it. The tube will be filled with cannabis, and butane will be injected into the top of this tube. This act will allow a resinous or oil mixture of cannabinoids to be extracted. 
  • After a while, the hash oil will collect at the bottom near the filter. It will then be heated to evaporate the remaining butane and thus purify the end product. Some people allow the hash oil to drip into a plate or pyrex dish. They do this so that the oil can be heated and the butane evaporates faster. 

So how exactly is the above process dangerous? Simple. This process involves a flammable and explosive solvent (butane), so the potential hazard of fire and explosion is significant. 

Unfortunately, most extractors complete this process indoors, where unventilated spaces with gas stoves and pilot lights are ignition sources for vapors.

The Risks Of Butane Explosion During Hash Oil Extraction 

Now you know how BHO extraction is completed and why it’s dangerous, we can detail a few of the risks. See below to learn the key risk factors associated with butane explosion during hash oil extraction: 

  • With illicit BHO extraction labs on the rise, numerous American communities have experienced increased structural explosions related to extraction operations. 
  • When a hash oil lab explodes, structural damages occur, and this can lead to serious injuries to firefighters, innocent bystanders, and hash oil manufacturers. 
  • Butane is a solvent heavier than air, colorless, odorless, and has a flammable range of 1.8 to 8.4 percent. This means it often cannot be smelt or seen before it’s too late. 
  • When a butane explosion occurs during hash oil extraction, windows and doors can be blown off frames, sheetrock lifted from ceilings, and walls can be blown off foundations. 

Additionally, firefighters have claimed that exploding butane canisters can cause fires to be more intense and thus challenging to extinguish. Butane explosions also lead to people in the vicinity suffering severe burns, resulting in permanent injuries and fatalities. 

How To Prevent Butane Explosions

In order to avoid explosions during the butane extraction process it is recommended to perform the extraction in a well-ventilated room or even better in a laboratory equipped with alarm systems in case of solvent spill. Open-loop systems will saturate the room faster, but closed-loop systems recycle the gas and control how it is extracted.

Moreover, the extraction equipment should be cleaned and checked after each run to ensure its integrity. The person working with flammable gas should be trained to handle dangerous substances and all the precautions should be taken to avoid risks of butane explosion, including an excessive solvent heating or uncautious sparkles near the extraction rooms.

Related Posts

Wide angle view at two workers wearing protective suits while inspecting production at modern chemical plant, copy space
Botanical Extraction

Collaborative Approaches in Botanical Extraction: Bridging Science and Industry

January 7, 2025
Areca Catechu
Botanical Extraction

Inside the Betel Nut High: Exploring the Mind-Bending Effects of Areca Catechu

January 1, 2025
The Art of Extraction: Unlocking Nature’s Fragile Secrets
Botanical Extraction

The Art of Extraction: Unlocking Nature’s Fragile Secrets

December 27, 2024
Kava leaves growing naturally
Botanical Extraction

The Chemical Secrets Behind Kava’s Effects

December 27, 2024
The Use of Psychedelics in Trauma Healing
Medical Research

The Use of Psychedelics in Trauma Healing

December 10, 2024
The Art of Extracting Thermolabile Compounds: Dr. Derek Osei Berchie Interview
Botanical Extraction

The Art of Extracting Thermolabile Compounds: Dr. Derek Osei Berchie Interview

December 2, 2024
Next Post
How Long Does it Take For Shrooms to Kick In?

How Long Does it Take For Shrooms to Kick In?

LATEST ARTICLES

Green Extraction Techniques

Green Extraction Techniques and Smart Solvents for Bioactive Recovery

January 10, 2025
Wide angle view at two workers wearing protective suits while inspecting production at modern chemical plant, copy space

Collaborative Approaches in Botanical Extraction: Bridging Science and Industry

January 7, 2025
Areca Catechu

Inside the Betel Nut High: Exploring the Mind-Bending Effects of Areca Catechu

January 1, 2025
The Art of Extraction: Unlocking Nature’s Fragile Secrets

The Art of Extraction: Unlocking Nature’s Fragile Secrets

December 27, 2024

Subscribe Now

Subscribe to our newsletter now to receive quick updates from us



    Background
    About

    Extraction Magazine is the trusted provider of botanical extraction news, ever-changing politics, cool gadgets and technologies, and methods for producing safe, ethical, and compliant formulations.

    Advertisers
    Navigation
    • Botanical Extraction
    • Industry News
    • Extraction Technology
    • Medical Research
    • Glossary
    • Business Directory
    Recent Posts
    • Green Extraction Techniques and Smart Solvents for Bioactive Recovery
    • Collaborative Approaches in Botanical Extraction: Bridging Science and Industry
    • Inside the Betel Nut High: Exploring the Mind-Bending Effects of Areca Catechu
    • The Art of Extraction: Unlocking Nature’s Fragile Secrets
    Subscribe to our Newsletter
    loader

    Sitemap

    © 2025 Extraction Magazine is the trusted provider of botanical extraction news and the leading media in the ever-changing extraction industry.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Industry News
    • Botanical Extraction
    • Medical Research
    • Medical Research
    • Glossary
    • Our Team
    • Write For Us

    © 2023 Extraction Magazine is the trusted provider of botanical extraction news and the leading media in the ever-changing extraction industry.