Geez Louise! Why is it so high!? Why haven't you invented the $50k model yet you'd be makin boat loads!
Mmmmmm, for starters, I'm trying to wind down in retirement, not up, but we and others actually did design and build systems less than $50K.
Unfortunately passive systems extract along the full temperature/pressure curve, as opposed to at specific temperatures and pressures, and don't have the solvent volume to do efficient extraction, or the control to do precise extractions.
That leads to pumps and plumbing, in addition to thick walled ASME pressure vessels and closures required by either, as well as additional ASME pressure vessels for fractionating to get quality separations.
Pumping cryogenic liquids isn't a casual endevour, because of how worthless elastomer seals are at those temperatures, and can be highly destructive if the liquids warm enough to convert to a gas in the pump. Pumps capable of reliably doing so at those pressures, are handsomely priced, albeit purdy to gaze upon.
Then there is paying the folks smart enough to design one, and the craftsmen required to build a good one, as well as Uncle Sam and the insurance carriers....................
If you sellum, you gotta service them, sooo leave us not forget about highly trained and handsomely paid service men.
Of course someone has to sell them too, and deal with customer service.
Then there is all the extra QC and QA folks.
Building and facilities costs....
Not to forget profit that most businesses are hoping to make. Boatloads of extra normal profits are an open invitation to competition, and the limited number of players jumping in, suggests more normal profits are more likely the case with SCFE CO2 equipment.
Mmmmmmmmmm, a few other reasons they cost a lot and I'm not in the business, but you get the idea.......
