Hey guys,
Have figured out most of the process but for some reason am getting very acidic crude from our Apeks system. Currently am running 1700-1800psi and 90-100f temperatures and getting good yields but then when mixing the crude with ethanol for winterization is coming back very acidic with the crude testing at 3-4 PH any thoughts? Was thinking maybe it’s the water content mixing with the co2 but am stumped.
Are you decarbing before extraction? Sometimes water from your biomass can mix with the C02 and cause acidic vapor. Are your small micron filters or pipes rusty? Ran into the same issue you have.
This can happen with decarbing etoh crude too from the acid converts to C02. Im just an untrained wannabe though.
If you aren’t decarbing, your cannabinoids are the acidic forms
We are decarbing after co2 extraction and winterizing in ethanol. So we take flowers to co2 extraction for crude, then mix with ethanol to winterize then filter with no media just a micron screen and decarb on a hot plate. You think we should decarb the flower before? I have no experience on a Apeks but the lab tech here has some so looking for other pointers or knowledge.
This is after decarbing at 140-150c for 2-3 hours maybe we need to go longer?
Yes, even Apeks says to decarb flower prior to run. You may see an increase in yields too. Have you checked ph of your etoh? Are you winterizing with fresh etoh or reclaimed?
Wow. Thats hot!
How are you testing your crude pH? The pH scale is with reference to equilibrium in water. A measurement from just sticking a pH probe in crude may be misleading. Washing with water and testing wash pH may be more informative…or comparing a direct crude pH meter measurement with a crude that you know is good.
Tested it by calibrating then testing distilled water and read 7.0 then did 1:5 ratio of decarb Crude to ethanol and tested that.
This is the SOP we have but thinking maybe turn down to 110-120c? What’re your thoughts wanted to get rid of ethanol and volatiles.
Usually we used 116c or 242F until bubbles stopped. Stir it every few minutes. If you plan on distilling afterwards then you can go to a higher temp to pull more volatile and terps off. Makes the terp strip easier and faster
Decarb before unless you are going for terpenes. We use 240F for 4-5 hours and right into Apeks seems to get us the best results.
Also look into lower pressures. The out of the box parameters are far from ideal in our experience.
Feel free to reach out and we can compare notes, running a 5X20L here.
have you guys seen any d10 while we’re at it?
We do distill after on a WFE so ran a little hotter at 140c but could try lower maybe? Just unsure where the acidic conditions or d8 are coming from. Going to test the decarbed crude and see if it’s changing to d8 in the decarb process maybe?
You might notice that d8 is a result of overheating, oxidation or some report CRC acidiy having the effect after spd…
These parameters ussualy create d8, from what I read around here but people morw knowledgable might correct me here…
Are you testing your terps, and if I may ask your run duration?
Good luck!
I think it’s acidic from the extraction side via C02. Maybe a weak grade of C02? What’s the moisture content of your biomass? I usually wfe at 165 fp.
The D8 is most likely from the crude being so acidic in the first place. Are you scrubbing with ac? Any clays?
Totally agree with your post