Hiya all,
I believe one key piece that people are leaving out here is their mass flow of CO2, temperature and pressure is great to understand your density in gas or liquid phase, there is a useful tool shared with me by a professor at Stanford,
This can help those who are looking for an easier way to understand their densities, it breaks it down in liquid and gas phases.
So it comes down to mass flow and time, I've heard some good things with regards to low pressure pulls, haven't tried many lower than 1000 myself, but over the next two or three days we are going after 300-900 psi pulls to see if we can seperate
terpenes while retaining optical clarity. We have pulled high terpene fractions before, similar to the test previously posted, an yes there is some cannabinoid crossover. I know of a quality extractor in Colorado that has a terpene isolation process that yields amazing
terpenes pre co2 extraction. I don't know his process, he is however an amazing extractionist that knows his solubility coefficients like the back of his hand.
In regards to cannabinoids, we have obtained multiple runs above 85% cannabinoid content on a 12-15% w/w efficiency pull, the key for this is low and slow. I know that some people swear by high pressures, to each their own, some operate that way based on their machinery. CBD pulls faster than THC so if you want that quality look you MUST monitor your times closely or you can begin to pull a red fraction. You will pull red waxy fractions at the final phase of your co2 pull if your pressure/time/temp is too high (individually and combinatively)
I've shared conversations and some run time with folks running (factory? Cue waters specialist J) modified waters rigs (UV VIS detectors, a seperation column, etc) and those guys all love running high pressures because time is indeed money in this business. If you have the dollars to make that possible then you can save the time, simple as that. That UV VIS detector is one hell of a trick for those interested.
For everyone running pneumatic booster pumps, the pressure across each stroke is constantly changing from zero to XX set pressure. The machine is inherently less efficient because of the driving pressure and CFM it takes to buck the final 30% phase of the stroke is massive. A pump for a waters rig takes significantly less power to operate and it operates continuously at pressure. All in all a better pump design, though from my point of view their systems are undersized in terms of tubing, higher velocity gasses and solvents will end up leading to mechanically erosive conditions with all those fittings and bends.
For newbies, try 75-95F at 1200-1400 psi, you can fuss with the numbers upwards and downwards to change the selectivity.
For everyone else, remember that volatiles come off first, heavier constituents later. Depending on your starting material you will know what to do. There are some heavy leaning terpene strains (sour amnesia, cherry pie, etc) and some heavy cannabinoid strains (Most OGs, Chems, SOurs)
- Do a good job at pre extraction quality control and testing with UHPLC and scopes to determine if you have a heavy waxy plant.
- Recall that the stalk of the trichomes is not where the real "meat" exists, it is merely a conduit for the trichome head.
- Know that pulling your plants earlier yields a more transparent material.
- Know that improper curing and drying can yield a discolored material.
- Know that the musky smell of moldy material can transfer when extracting and that you must take steps to remove aflatoxins from your extract.
- Know that this is about understanding how to become a professional at removing components and isolating them to their purest form. But in doing so you can remove the "magic" or "soul" of the cannabis plant and its "entourage effects" or as some call it the "ensemble effect"
Think of cannabis as a plant with a symphony of molecules playing their part to create the overall experience of wonder and beauty.
