Hey Guys, In need of opinions. We run Cup-30 for cryo ethanol extraction. We typically see around 24-26 lbs per finished liter on high grade trim (14-16%) sometimes 20%.
Our clients are telling us we should be around 14-17lbs per liter. In 7 years I’ve never gotten those kinda yields. We use a wipe film unit and run 3 pass to get in 90%+ range.
Are these 14-17lbs per liter claims accurate? If so what could we be doing wrong ?
Have you tested the biomass post-extraction to know how much you’re leaving behind?
Yes we are always below 1-2%
3 passes on a wiper is too much IMO. Have you tested the residue of all 3 distillations and done a mass balance to account for where everything is going?
Each “waste stream” should be tested for thc and you can see what step is leaving behind the most.
But it sounds like the clients are are just expecting a perfect 100% return and don’t have a good idea on reality and losses in processing, which is why they aren’t processing and are trying to get unrealistic returns on their products.
14lbs at 14% doesn’t even give you a kilo.
First let’s get the hell away from the imperial system and back to something that makes sense like the metrc system.
14/2.22=6.35kgs
6.35x0.14=0.899kgs.
6.35x0.16=1.016kgs.
I love buying lbs of trim and figuring out how many liters it will make
I just go for 80-85% of available noids for 90% distillate
I worry about people that are already processing other peoples material and don’t have any idea what their own processes should yield.
Now he has to convince these growers that he’s not ripping them off after they already feel like mistreated.
Yes we usually start with 60-65% crude
We do a hard cut to strip terps and residual around 185°c
We do a 1st pass @ 170–175° depends on material and vac
We do a 2nd pass at 157-165°c for polish
End product
Crude to distillate or biomass to distillate?
The latter is not impossible, but last time folks were actually sharing biomass to distillate efficiency numbers around here I believe reality was closer to 65% of input cannabinoids in the output… see:Hemp Crude-Distillate Yields
pretty hard to get 80% overall efficiency to distillate when you’re below 90% from the biomass
10kg 14% trim. == 1.4kg thc
10kg 1.5% waste == 150g thc
Not quite 90% of available cannabinoids captured.
assuming @karmabob can manage 80% efficiency from crude to distillate, and is not throwing any away when winterizing, we’re at 0.893 x 0.8 = 0.71 => 71.4%
0.7144x 1.400kg == 1kg of actual THC
if you’ve achieve 90% thc distillate, then you should have 1.1kg
I suggest you work the math for what you’re currently achieving. And then (as @thesk8nmidget suggests) go check where (else) you’re leaving cannabinoids on the table.
If you don’t know the meaning of “mass balance”, you should get that under your belt right now as well.
My bet is you’re tossing “fats & waxes” that contain cannabinoids, and your heads and tails contain even more.
Third party testing is expensive and slow. Flying blind is costing you $ and perhaps clients. See: In House analytics for how others are solving thst
You should still know where (every single gram of) the cannabinoids are going…
Very helpful math
Yeah I was thinking crude not disty
80 percent of 80 percent is about like what 60 something percent.
Labyrinth trailer eh?
