We are are in production for an ethanol co-solvent module that can inject up to 5% ethanol inline with the co2 stream during extraction. Early testing results are showing increased throughput of 2-3x depending on parameters. The co-solvent modules will be able to be retrofitted to most Apeks CO2 systems and allow for a significant reduction in run times and increases in throughput for a fraction of the cost of a new system while at the same time maintaining the fractional extraction properties of pure Co2. Please feel free to reach out to me or anyone at our team with any questions. These should be available starting early June and can be turned off and on as you see fit for terp runs etc. Check out the link for more info:[Apeks Co-solvent Injection Module]
(https://www.apekssupercritical.com/about/apeks-advantage/co-solvent/)
Check out our engineer Sam’s study on using ethanol as a co-solvent with Co2 below:
Also, we are now Apeks Supercritical/Delta Separations offering turnkey solutions for both CO2 and ethanol extraction lines.
Really interested on hearing more about this. By adding the ethanol are you still able to perform more selective extractions (i.e. terpene runs) or does this pull a majority of the cannabinoids. Also how is the ethanol recovered?
You have the ability to perform a run with or without the Co-solvent. So you would not use it during terp runs as the ethanol will pull more than terps out when in use. The ethanol will collect with the oil in the standard collection cup so you will have to add a little less going into winterization.
This module is specifically for ethanol. Any other solvent will void the warranty. It’s all about what the pump is designed to pump and the flow meter is designed to measure. We can look at custom solutions but that would be further down the road.
Not yet…just getting this out first. I’m sure extractors will do their own R&D as well, I just have to mention the warranty aspect and potential damage to the compressor from a company/engineering standpoint.
I’m gonna let our engineer speak for himself here, i’m sure you will appreciate his work more than my translation of it. Here’s a link for Sam’s paper and study:
In a nutshell, slightly increased yields (2%) and up to a 300% decrease in run times while retaining the fractional extraction properties of pure CO2 extraction.
“During the testing process it was clear that additional benefits include both the ease in collecting and cleaning the separator when using a co-solvent. The resulting oil–ethanol mixture was nearly homogenized and could be easily transitioned into a winterization process without the necessary hotplate and stirrer. This benefit manifests as a reduction in energy consumption and time required for post-extraction processing activities. After these tests, it was determined that the presence of ethanol increases the solubility power of the CO2, and that the CO2 is still selectable even with the addition of the co-solvent.”
During our R&D process we found that using a small percentage (1-5%) ethanol the fractional extraction qualities of pure CO2 extraction are maintained while greatly reducing run times. So it will depend on your parameters if you are pulling chlorophylls or not.
“After these tests, it was determined that the presence of ethanol increases the solubility power of the CO2, and that the CO2 is still selectable even with the addition of the co-solvent.”
“Ethanol being a polar solvent has its pros and cons, but using it in solution with CO2 helps to reduce the removal of the unwanted chlorophyll. With the addition of ethanol to the solution, dialing into a set of extraction parameters to extract desirable cannabinoids and terpenes while leaving the unwanted compounds in the raw material can be accomplished not only with pressure and temperature adjustments of the CO2, but can now also be adjusted by raising or lowering the concentration of ethanol in the stream.”
When you dilute ethanol with CO2 it reduces the removal of unwanted chlorophyll when comparing it to a pure ethanol extraction. Its all about context.
When speaking in terms of a adding a fourth variable of that can enhance control of selectivity to a CO2 system this statement is not incorrect. It’s all about the parameters. Of course if you are running supercritical at high temps and pressures with a large amount of cosolvent you are going to pull more chlorophylls. Its all in the parameters you run with. Read the whole article and not take one sentence out of context.
i wasnt basing my statement on the blog post you shared, i was basing it on my experience of running your systems, a thar, a vitalis, and several different waters configurations on a daily basis for years, and a chem degree.
Not trying to argue with you or your lab experience or educational background. I completely respect your opinion. I am just expressing that it is possible to speed the extraction using cosolvent while still utilizing the selective properties of the process to eliminate unwanted chlorophylls based on parameters. Thats all man.