To understand extraction, here’s a short list of topics you should try to understand well enough to explain to a non-expert.
Solubility and solubility curves
Miscibility
Polarity
Once you understand the fundamentals of extraction well enough, you’ll understand why the spray wash method is quite effective at producing “crude” products that need minimal post-extraction refinement, and why that process was designed the way it was.
Then, study and understand filtration and separation.
This combined with the extraction topics should help you understand the 101 of membrane systems - and almost every other thing we do around here - and why they are designed the way they are, and what you need to know/ask about when selecting vendors.
A dedicated month or three of learning should get you to the point where you can find your own answers, ask intelligent questions of experts in this field, and be far less likely to get taken for a very expensive ride by someone who talks fast and slick but doesn’t actually know what they’re talking about.
Looking for books with “handbook” in the title will probably speed up your learning.
I’ve been interested in trying CO2 for a long time. I don’t think there’s really any literature on the subject. Just about every liquid solvent has some kind of compatibility data on it. I wouldn’t assume CO2 isn’t compatible. The bigger challenge is the logistics of how to run the CO2 through efficiently and safely.
Ok so in Africa and electricity is a nightmare so contemplating on membranes again
BUT without a pump do a pressurized tank that feeds the membranes
What’s the pressure needed approximately for alkanes now a days ?
Solvent recovery ?
Winterization ?
I still have 16bar rated 1500L tanks
That yust maybe might be of use
Happy with any % of recovery treu this and evaporating the rest of @MagisterChemist@Lincoln20XX
All of this is from slightly foggy memory as it’s been a year or more since I did any real alkane membrane work:
Alkane membranes are $$$$$. Something like $15k-$25k per membrane I believe. And none of them are really great. None of them have perfect rejection profiles, all require some quantity of diafilitration if you want to not be tossing the noids into your recovery stream.
I’ve got a list of not-yet-commercialized membranes that I was going to test and validate for alkane work, but then we moved away from solvents.
IIRC we had our best solvent recovery results at the maximum manufacturer recommended pressure for alkanes - 40 bar.
In my mind, the ideal workflow for alkane extraction involves two solvents, not less than three membrane skids - ideally four - and four post-processing stages/steps.
It’s a complicated workflow, but also produces a really beautiful “crude” that is generally well north of 80% cannabinoids, with zero thermal solvent recovery required.