Selling Enzymatic CBDA conversion method

There are a wide variety of enzymes just like there are a wide variety of organisms thriving under various conditions, including in volcanic vents on the sea bed. While each enzyme may have a narrow window of operable conditions (temperature, pressure) there are enzymes that can likely work under high pressure and high temperature nonetheless.

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Exactly. Most of our work was used to engineering/ modified the enzymes to make the enzyme work more faster/recycled/ in abnormal condition

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My understanding is For this process to work for thc-thca youd have to be under critically high pressure to raise the boiling point of the target molecule so it doesn’t degrade further into cbn or decarb the newly formed THCa from the high temperatures used in the reaction

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Can I use hemp derived Rubisco?

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When we sell enzymes/strain/process/technique, we would disclose these basic factors, including reaction condition, yield / conversation, estimated cost … @Co2purist shared the conversation and cost level already , So it would be highly appreciated if he can share more info , while it’s probably their secret which they will only disclose to serious buyers

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Here is the complete pdf for the above mentioned paper, for those who need it.

are2021.pdf (1.3 MB)

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Its pretty doubtful that the temperatures are going to be thaaaat extreme. Enzymes, even thermophiles, aren’t impervious to heat - they’ll just denature and die. You might be able to run the reaction a little above 100C - not that its negligible but the rate of decarb is not instantaneous at like 100C. You’re going to be well below the boiling point of cannabinoids, I would venture to say the pressure is more to do with pushing the reaction forward than elevating boiling point.

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You’re a peach

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At times like these I wish the nuns taught me to read instead of just beating me with rulers

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Le Chatlier suggests decarb should be disfavored in a high pressure CO2 environment too

I’m under the impression after talks with them that they have something really cool in their hands but don’t know how to sell it because they don’t understand what numbers and data we would need to make an actual ROI sheet

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La Chatlier only really applies to an idealized isentropic (i.e. reversible) system. If you can consider decarboxylation a zero order reaction, which one could make a decent case for, La Chatlier does not apply.

How to test this? Put THCA in a closed vessel, pressurize with CO2, heat rigorously, decarboxylation will still go to completion if you let the reaction run for an “infinite” reaction duration.

edit: my point still being, the pressurization with CO2 does not retard the decarboxylation but rather should increase the rate of carboxylation to such an extent that it outcompetes the much slower decarboxylation rate. Pressurizing with CO2 makes the forward reaction faster, not the backward reaction slower.

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disfavored meaning it’s happening slower, not that it won’t happen

since you’re talking about forward and reverse reactions, that’s by default an equilibrium situation

This reminds me the tough days when I had to sell our enzymes/strains, lol. Cost may vary on scale , raw material cost , facility cost ( if necessary, which usually required since not all companies have enzyme reactors or related equipment, and the major cost of producing enzymes is usually the fermentation process , so it’s really complicated to get numbers to convince buyers , but enzymes are absolutely the new sexy

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Agreed that your not going to be seeing instant decarb and you probably wont see crazy high temps unless certain thermophiles are being used, but you will still see it and be fighting against it in your reaction, its about finding the sweet spot for the enzymes to react, and since high pressure actually helps enzymes increase activity and lowers the affinity for decarb due to higher boiling points for the target molecule it only makes sense that this reaction would be done under pressure for optimal efficiency

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what is the logic here?
How does changing the boiling point affect decarb?
Decarboxylation under Vacuum?

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I’ve been playing with them for the last couple years in my R&D the possibilities are endless

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they have been since they outran catalytic RNA’s…

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Sort of, I can see why you’d put it that way. The force making decarboxylation going forward is not the opposite force making carboxylation go forward. And again, decarb is zero order and the sort of normal chemical equilibria you’re invoking dont necessarily apply. If I were you, I’d think about it as two competing but separate reactions happening for different reasons entirely but that their rates compete with each other. It’s definitely a reaction dynamic, but less of the canonical definition of equilibria.

And again, perform the closed pressurized THCA decarb reaction I described. It effectively blows the la chatlier principle argument away and you can see it with your own two eyes. Pressure will not retard decarboxylation.

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nor will vacuum speed it…

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