Hello everyone! I am a long-time lurker and have to thank everyone for everything I have gained here on Future4200! I figured I would start off with a seemingly unrealistic idea I have had rolling around my head for a few months now. Has anyone ever heard of Ethane (or Methane) extraction?
For those who do not know, ethane (C2H6) is the next lightest straight-chain hydrocarbon after propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10), followed only by methane (CH4). Ethane has a boiling point of -128F (-89C), and a vapor pressure of 540 PSI at 70F. When I have purchased butane or propane in the past, I was surprised to see liquid ethane on the price sheet at the same order of magnitude price as our usual 70/30 blend. The most obvious obstacle (besides safety!!) would be recovery, but maybe liquid nitrogen, cryogenic chillers, and a recovery pump could be used? 500 psi seems outrageous, but maybe a supercriticial CO2 extractor could be modified with compatible gaskets and a high-pressure explosion-proof recovery pump? I hate when people advocate open-blasting, especially with so many more responsible methods available, but blasting a few oz of ethane through a tiny column could yield interesting results for curiosity sake.
I am NOT RECOMMENDING anyone try this out, as we all know butane and propane are volatile enough to create serious safety concerns and deadly explosions. I do not work with hydrocarbons anymore, so I have little to gain from this idea. I just wanted to throw it out and see some responses. The only advantages I could see from this would be insane terp preservation and minimal purge time.
Before you say I am totally crazy, I will provide a link below which was basically all I could find about ethane extraction. My idea was just liquid ethane extraction, but could it work as a supercritical solvent? My guess is that supercritical ethane would pull all the waxes, and inline dewaxing could not work with a supercritical system and would require cooling below -128F. This article states that supercritical ethane is a better solvent for deterping orange oil than supercritical co2:
Ethane as an alternative solvent for supercritical extraction of orange peel oils
I also remember job-searching a few months ago and reading an extraction lab manager listing where they wanted methane, ethane, and natural gas pipeline experience for a cannabis buildout. Of course I cannot find the posting at this time. Maybe HR got carried away? Or are people really experimenting with natural gas?