• 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

Cannabis Extraction Methods Comparison: Pros and Cons

Petar Petrov by Petar Petrov
April 6, 2018
in Botanical Extraction
Cannabis Extraction Methods Comparison: Pros and Cons

Different methods of cannabis extraction serve different purposes, which means they involve different extravagancies that need to be monitored with special attention to maximize their efficiency.

Supercritical C02 Extraction

Supercritical CO2 is the preferred method by many because of its toxin-free nature. This extraction is the safest both for users and the environment. Extractors, however, choose to take this path to their desired concentrate for reasons that go beyond safety and into potency. CO2’s “critical” point of compression is approximately 88°F which is well below the deactivation temperature of cannabinoids and terpenes.  This means CO2 reaches the desired state before anything else, providing room for creative freedom. Given that they know at what temperature and pressure each terpene, cannabinoid, and wax separate from the source material, extractors can choose which of the sort’s flavors and distinctive features to bring out, giving the concentrate their own personal spin.

READ ALSO

Collaborative Approaches in Botanical Extraction: Bridging Science and Industry

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

But there’s a catch –  many believe in removing unwanted materials such as plant fats, this longer and more aggressive purification process can cause collateral damage on the cannabinoid and terpenoid profile of the extracts. This is why some deem this method of extraction inefficient. You need to monitor for the happy medium between purity and potency.

Ethanol Extraction

Many believe ethanol extraction, on the other hand, borrows the best of CO2 and butane extraction. Gene Galyuk, principal engineer of Capna Labs, a California-based extraction company founded in 2014, certainly does: “We knew that we needed a solvent as safe as CO2, but as efficient as butane.”

But ethanol doesn’t have it all either. “The biggest hurdle by far was ethanol’s polarity,”  Galyuk explains. “A polar solvent [such as ethanol] will readily mix with water and dissolve water soluble molecules. Chlorophyll is one of those compounds which will easily co-extract when using ethanol as a solvent.”

Chlorophyll gives the extract a distinctively bitter, grassy flavor which is hardly to anybody’s taste. Furthermore, being alkaline aside, its medicinal properties are not strong. Cannabinoids come off quite easily from the source material when soaked in ethanol, which makes prolonging the process unnecessary and even counter-productive – you would get just a little more cannabinoids at the expense of having a lot more chlorophyll in your end product.

Chromatography Extraction

This method is powered by the interaction between chromatography media such as silica and the different cannabis compounds. Substances unwanted in the final product have stronger reactions to the silica which slows them down toward the final destination while THC and CBD react weakly to the silica and travel faster through it as a result. This is how the separation occurs.

As you probably guessed, once again, there’s a “but”: greasy, nonpolar compounds such as terpenes, and even cannabinoids, can end up traveling with roughly the same speed and become harder to separate.

As you can see, each process has its advantages and disadvantages, and through monitoring, extractors can maximize the pros and minimize the cons.

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
What Should You do With Leftover Terpenes?

What Should You do With Leftover Terpenes?

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.