Why?
I think DE provides a fantastic 3D matrix for the remainder of powders to sit atop. Really curious about this.
Edit: because I see later that you use T5, which is a brand name neutral (bentonite clay).
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agree with this overpacking and using crc esp with high yielding stuff will slow the crc down lots — prewetting def helps
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Yes definitely lots of interesting things can get left behind as insoluble or just physically absorbed. My columns are jacketed to be heated or cooled to optimize solubility in my favor.
I also heard our used media like a crazy person because testing it for residual cannabinoids is important for verifying SOPs and because sometimes really really weird stuff comes out of there that I am dying to learn more about. Testing the residuals in the media is how I choose which media to use.
Also, as an extractor and not a grower, the waste tells me so much more about the material than the good stuff we pull out of it.
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sorry a little off topic, but do you tend to find a high percentage of cannabiniods left behind in the powders? And do you notice it to tend to be more of one specific cannabinoid by chance?
Bro like for realz n I body wants to listen
that’s a pretty broad brush you’re painting with there…you sure you’ve got a good handle on the subject matter?
maybe you can catch @murphymurri’s next Chromatography class?
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I know it’s been almost a year since this post, but I’ve been having CRC clogging issues. I’ve read through all the threads and just created an account to ask about them; this is my first post and you certainly seem to know your stuff!
When I’m putting celite on top, it doesn’t seem to help. I’ve tried putting a few inches of celite (in a 4" CRC spool) and I still have a lot of issues with flow, until I get to about 30 PSI in the collection pot. Then, the flow goes much better. I’ve tried a number of different things to keep fats from getting into the CRC, but no dice. I’m starting to wonder if it’s vapor locking at the bottom or something. Would you have any ideas?
It’s gotten really bad since a recent batch of machine-trimmed material; that’s a big part of what makes me suspect it’s fat buildup. But no matter how I try and handle it, it just keeps clogging.
I’d love to give any info that would be useful. Thank you for your time!
It may be moisture related is all I can say. i just froze up during a run and the fritted disk was clogged with frozen moisture.
You have a 4" spool with what micron sintered disc?
What size line is your inlet line and your outlet line for your crc?
Are you using papers?
What media are you using, in what depths, in what order?
Are you noticing before the pressure gets that high in the collection that a foam seems to come out of your crc?
Sounds like exactly what we were dealing with when we had issues.
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First thing to help is fix the issues is to run cold columns along with cold solvent. I know this may not be an option for some so what I’ve been doing is using 2 UltraClear granule sizes on top of the crc. I use the biggest size they offer at the very top which is fish tank pebble size granules and then A fine granule UltraClear under that. The UltraClear being granular and staged that way takes way more effort to blind than the DE. Clay will blind right away, DE is a lil more resistant but will also blind, UltraClear staged down has been working better at fighting off the blinding. However it’s really the fats that are causing the problem so the easiest solution is to run as cold as possible to avoid picking those up
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or you could utilize a membrane
Are there peer reviewed membranes that are suitable for butane?
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nothing ive personally found but i know its gotta be possible
Clogs stink, I made a mistake recently of putting a 1.5 fritted against a small orifice. It froze and I kept hitting it with nitrogen. Im not supposed to set it up that way but OOPS.
…
butthole is big here, All those valves worked and only lost the gas in the hose.
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Thanks for the detailed questions!
We have .375" going from the dewax into the CRC, and .25" from the CRC to the collection pot. Our entire setup is .25"; we just had the dewax altered when we started having these issues, in hopes of solving them.
In order, we have:
-Inlet
- Celite (3" or more right now)
- 16 um filter paper
- B80 (several cups; changed each run (3x 5lb columns)
- 8 um filter paper
- 1 um sintered disc (swapped with a five um; we have two CRC columns in rotation to help switch between runs faster)
Not at all to the foam, for better or worse. Flow just slows and then stops. Once the pressure gets up there (20-40 PSI) the flow increases very quickly, and can even get to be “too” fast.
I have noticed some stuff in the collection pot towards the ends of the runs, though. I think what might be happening is the fats go into solution under pressure, which breaks down the clog. And then as the pressure gets relieved, they come out of solution.
Moisture is not a concern; it’s the first thing we tried. We dry all the trim for long periods of time in a sealed, hot, and dehumidified room. We also have color-changing molecular sieve beads and keep an eye on them; I don’t think moisture is the issue.
I just tried to get it a little colder. Our chiller caps out at -25C, but it’s been set to -15C for a while instead (as it doesn’t like being at capacity all the time). I hope that small difference means we pick up less fats to begin with.
Thank you for the suggestion with the granules! I’m suddenly kinda hopeful that maybe with a colder run we have better results; we’d been running at -15 without issues for so long that I hadn’t really considered it might be that. If it isn’t, I guess we can build a longer CRC spool and try those UltraClear granules in stages. What do you think of putting small metal springs in the dewax chamber? I’m wondering if increasing the available surface area for the fats to stick to might make a difference.
The next level just to make a sintered filter easily to solve the clog problem.
Now we have V3.0 Sintered Filter Hope
Everybody will enjoy.