I recently took over for a previous lab director at a predominantly EtOH facility. I began extraction efficiency testing immediately due to their average % yields being <11% and immediately am seeing ~4% total THC in post-extracted biomass.
We can’t reach 1500rpm in the pod, at max we can hit 900 without massive vibrations. Does anyone else experience this that is working in a pod? We’ve been able to extend our spin cycle, but with production demands we are unable to hit our weekly goals. Even with the extended spin cycle there is significant ethanol (potentially very diluted) remaining. I do not currently have the space or the means to move this equipment indoors.
Since the same EtOH is used from the cup to the FFE in a closed-loop cycle it is taking sometimes upwards of an hour for the ethanol to chill back down to -40. Toying with the idea of purchasing a chiller just for the CUP30, but already spent a copious amount of money on our EtOH project.
I am 100% sure the EtOH is very diluted. I am considering an in-line molecular sieve remediation, but want to see if there are other options that might work better.
Does anyone have any suggestions on any of the above?
Have you tried pushing past 900? Is this a constant vibration that gets worse or mostly smooth with some nasty ranges?
If it’s constant, your fuge may be telling you it wants some maintenance. Or that you’re consistently unbalancing loads.
Get a hydrometer. Find out what you’re working with. A little water is not bad. A lot is not ideal. Reproofing is possible, the search bar should get you most of the way there.
By pod I’m assuming you’re referring to a containerized lab in a shipping container or something of the sort? Obviously your centrifuge is only as stable as what it’s attached to so you might want to look into anchoring your structure if your modular platform is actually moving with the forces produced by the fuge. Spinning large amounts of biomass and ethanol at 1500rpm actually generates a huge amount of force and must be anchored to a stable surface.
Yes. It is not ideal, but we’re making the best of what we’ve got. I haven’t found anything substantial about the pods being unsuitable for ethanol extraction, but it seems obvious to me that the centrifuge will always be somewhat unstable in the pod. We are about 6 months out from building an overhead enclosure.
Yes we have, and actually our runs today and last Thursday were able to reach 1500. We had to build very slowly, but ended up reaching the 1500.
When it does start to vibrate its constant and violent, lol.
I’ve definitely ran higher than -40 before and ended up with decent crude. I’m more so concerned because our yields have already been relatively low, just trying to troubleshoot as best as I can.
Running a fuge in a shipping container booth isn’t a terrible thing so long as you can keep it from being unbalanced. Perhaps it might be worth looking into how your material is loaded, and if there is anything you can do to make it more even.
Same experience here, unbalanced loads are 90% of the time the issue, so look at your bag packing methods, and if your ops take a minute to really punch that biomass out evenly just before they close the lid to extract, that’ll go a long way.
Also, yes, maintenance, i don’t know the exact make/model you use but ours has 6 isolators at the corners and center of the platform that the extraction chamber sits on, check the air pressure in those to make sure they’re to the spec in the operator’s manual.
totally agree that simply having more ethanol in play would be a big improvement, meaning you don’t have to wait on your FFE to start chilling your next batch of EtOH. imo 100% something you should do.
on your spin dries, it’s not uncommon to dose a bit of ethanol in the middle of the spin dry cycle, this will help wash some of that remaining 7% into your solution and thus into your total crude yield. it won’t help your EtOH loss, but hopefully repacking and maintenance will.
if you’re not smelling what they’re cooking above in reference to the ‘doing it wrong’/‘not a washing machine’ point, or don’t feel like putting it together yourself, @MagisterChemist could hook you up with an SOP for an improved method that could cut your extraction times down by half and likely improve extraction yields as well. it might involve some additional investment, but doubling one’s throughput makes for ROI positivity in very little time. best of luck!
