CO₂ EXTRACTION
Supercritical CO₂ Extractors
CO2 is considered one of the safest methods for the extraction of cosmetics, foods & pharmaceuticals, offering high-purity, aromatic oil extraction without the need for hydrocarbon solvents. Allowing operators to extract in a consistent fashion from the bench up to plant scale, CO2 has been used in a wide range of industries successfully for decades. Botanical extractions are scalable into the tonnes of biomass per day, with multiple approaches across liquid, sub & supercritical states to a wide range of final products.
Wondering what supercritical CO₂ extraction is?
These systems are used in a number of bulk & selective extraction scenarios, whether in essential oils or dye extraction, decaffeinated or lycopene isolation and many others thanks to the precise control of a very flexible solvent, CO2. And, extractions without a solvent introduction & recovery step have an opportunity to protect & preserve the character of the product.
For bulk hemp extraction, CO2 is pressurized above 1200psi and heated above 30C to a near-supercritical state in which the CO2 acts as a more polar solvent, aggressively removing product from the biomass. The manipulation of these conditions affect the strength & selectivity of the extraction, with experienced operators finding the more efficient balance between quality & quantity within a given market. With that, CO2 can effectively strip cannabinoids & terpenes from even the lowest quality material, often with little need for refinement.
Clean extraction
CO2 is considered by many, particularly a wide range of consumers, a natural, safe non-solvent. Processors have an opportunity to further differentiate themselves by becoming certified organic, which some other extraction methods would find impossible. Furthermore, assuming no downstream refinement, CO2 extractions mitigate the risk to consumers and risk of recalls with respect to residual solvent content in final products, being that none are used. The CO2 used in the extraction itself can be recovered from the product and reclaimed back to storage for future use. Finally, off-gassing of the final product presents no hazards, no recordable emissions and reduces the cost of build-outs as explosion-proofing is not required.
Manufacturers we trust
IES is the preferred manufacturing partner of Apical, pushing innovation & efficiency in the CO2 sector since 2012. For a list of equipment that Apical can provide, click on the link below, we’d be happy to help.