Why many companies now stop using centrifuges for filter extraction. I noticed that companies like Delta Separations don’t seem to be running anymore, what’s going on?
You can make all you like but if they do not sell it makes no sense
Is my hunch
Fuges are nice but scaling extraction to amounts needed to be viable they are a problem
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Probably not as used in the labs. Maybe cleaning issues and scalability.
You could probably get more done in a day by using a cls and just winterizing what you make from there if you’re going for scalability.
I’m not a huge fan of EHO and the market changes frequently.
From what I’ve noticed the current market is sugar, diamonds , solventless isolates, hash rosin and crumble. Not EHO.
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Delta charged something like $100k+ for something that could be purchased from similar vendors for half that if you want UL, C1D1, etc. Or 10% of that if you can run cheap China gear.
Centrifugal separations are useful at most scales.
The trick is spinning the right way with the right tool for the application.
Most of the gear sold to this industry is not well suited to the way it’s used in the real world.
As margins compress, the inefficiencies start to pile up.
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What do you mean by filter extraction? Are you speaking to separating the spent bio-mass from the solution?
How would you scale efficient extraction without centrifuges in some capacity?
Batch extraction in centrifuges is a great way to extract at scale with good efficiency and minimal solvent loss. Large scale continuous extraction done properly with decanters work good too.
Just curious of your point.
Because they stop extracting. Margins are too thin.
The market contracted. Nobody wanted tiny fuges in hemp. Nobody wants EHO in rec. there are shorter routes to get to 90+ % TAC than EtOH => distillate
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I agree. EtOH will make a comeback with federal legalization when the time comes but it currently has the short end of the stick when it comes to current scale for isolated rec markets. Well I guess c02 has the shortest end of the stick lol.
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Liquid phase extraction is the most economical thing to scale. I disagree that EtOH is the way to go.
If you want to use an alcohol, odds are that there is a more favorable one for the desired end goal.
If you want to save your terps, and alkane might make more sense.
If you care about opex not needing to recover every last gram of expensive solvent, water is pretty attractive.
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You said it decanters or pusher centrifuges make sense at scale
In combination with a screw press even better or extract with a solvent that the loses are a non isseu like H2O
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I agree to a degree. I think that federal legalization (kinda hope it never happens. More taxes, a lot of grow operations will be shuttered a lot of people will lose jobs a lot of people will lose their life work. Imagine California Legalization but countrywide. Remember how many mom and pop stores shuttered in Humboldt? that’s the future of legalization imo) , will not be the end of hydrocarbons. It’ll just mean better testing standards.
They’ll probably make people have to hit under a certain ppm
makes me think of the tek i used to always bring up
People realize they can use a bucket, a sock, and a rotovap to make Ethanol extracts.
Can you elaborate on the methods of getting 90+% TAC that are quicker thant EtOH => distillate? Are you speaking on hydrocarbons, or an alkane extraction?
I’m fairly ignorant, but other scalable ways seems to take longer or end in some type of alcohol solution anyways? My thought was the cut out the middle-man.
Maybe I’m tired, but for some reason ethanol always seems to be the correct solvent for extraction if we are going for 90%+ concentrate. Disregarding the obvious lack of terpenes and other compounds that may be desirable.
Delta Sep is now sold by ETS stainless
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This is one of those moments where the answer is so obvious that it doesn’t even register as a solution.
Thanks for the answer. Ahah. Doh…
i’ve been spinning left this entire time, crap
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Counter cockwise
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Wait, people are ditching distillation for crystallization/decarb? what about the D9 in the crude? does it just get left in the mother liquor?
going after the THCa and just decarbing it sounds great if all your biomass is fresh and still almost all THCa. But what about when it’s older biomass? or any crude with decent amounts of THC in it?
I guess I’m not understanding how hydrocarbon extraction > crystallization > separation > decarb is more efficient than extracting cold/filter inline > solvent recovery > decarb > distill?
I’m a hydrocarbon guy btw, I have just always thought ethanol was more efficient for larger scale distillate production. But I have been seeing a lot of people say that’s not the case these days.