Just curious to know what different methods are being utilized when coming across excess water in your extract.
I’ve heard of Anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate being used during a scrub to capture the water but am unsure of its success rate.
What method are you using?
EDIT: To Clarify - I’m looking for methods to remove the water when a decarb is not part of the process
During decarb the h20 will evaporate.
what if you wont be doing a decarb?
Depending on how much water we’re talking about you could just wash it with 200 proof etoh in a rotovap and let the azeotrope do the work. That would get you where you need to go without adding anything else to you extract. The down side is that it takes a decent amount of EtOH. The azeotrope is 5% so for every liter of 200 proof you use you will remove 50ml of water.
Is this for a short path crude? If so I would recommend decarbing in general. I go straight to 140c for 2 to 2.5 hours with my crude before putting it in my SPD. It Cooks off the volatiles and makes the whole run easier and faster. As @Soxhlet said that will also boil off the water.
I usually only find minimal water but enough to cause issues.
most recent finding was when I was loading my ethanol:cannabinoid solution in the rotovap - towards the end, i started noticing a milky swirl which i’m only currently assuming is some water.
Yeah, that happens. If we’re only talking about some milkiness then the 200 proof trick should do you.
Though, honestly, you could put it right in the short path. Water should come off with the volatiles in the heads fraction.
most of my crude goes through my wiped film so definitely agree with your method. But I’m thinking for future instances when I make a product like ‘sauce’ that would not require a decarb - what would be the best method to remove the water?
You should also be looking for the source of the water. If it’s coming in durring the extraction then you’re not running cold enough. Sometimes it just happens but if this is a consistent thing for you I would go over your extraction SOP.
Definitely not a frequent occurrence - otherwise I’d probably already have a solution
I’m 95% sure I know the source and am confident I can prevent it in the future but no use trying to undo whats been done.
Run your extractor at cryo temps, should lock all the h20 up as ice.
h20 will come off with your terp fraction in your wfe.
definitely a disconnect in our conversation…
I’m not trying to figure out how/why the water got in there or even how to prevent it. I understand what happened and whats been done is done - the water is there.
@TheLostBiologist recommended flushing it with 200proof etoh
and you both have recommended to decarb or not to get it in there in the first place.
but hopefully you can see how the latter two suggestions dont really answer/address my question
Definatly!
Best way for good extracts is avoid h20 pickup in extraction.These are all measures we go through great lengths to limit.
When you posed the question “water in my crude” Im sure everyone here assumed you were making distillate. The word “crude” isn’t used when reffering to the extraction that creates “sauce”.
Try rotovapping the extract with etoh as @TheLostBiologist suggested. You may be able to dessicate it, or pick it up with nonpolar solvent in a sep funnel.
welp, next time youll be ahead of the curve lol!
LOL at how one word can drive the context of the whole conversation
I refer to anything between starting material and finished product as ‘crude’ but will be sure to specify more clearly in the future
Appreciate your input 
Sorry if i came off like a dick, my mild retdation makes me this way… Just ask @Indofab about the welding rod in a dremel argument we had last fri… I hope that fucker knows Im right! lol! 
not at all - I have similar tendencies and usually also have to explain myself to new folk. Although we’ve never physically met(unless you were at the seminar last night) , I’ve seen enough of your posts/responses on here to know you’re not a dick 
Its been a long week for me between MJbizcon and all the events revolving around the conference so I know some of the things I’m saying doesnt make sense at this point.
And on that note…I’ve just decided this is the last thing I’m doing before I close down my lab and shut my brain off.
Thanks again!
If you don’t mind terp removal in the process, you can try an LL extraction with a non-polar solvent and methanol. At least that’s the route I’m going to go after finding out my ethanol had about 2% more water in it than I thought after my extraction… Though I hadn’t thought about using 200-proof to suck up that extra water. Sounds like a much more straight-forward approach for small amounts of water contamination.
if making “sauce”, then presumably you’re starting with hydrocarbon extract. which suggests you should back up and replace your molsieves.
Edit: of course, I then finished reading the thread…
I do stand behind the “if you don’t want water in your sauce, regen your sieves”, and as you’re not making sauce this time, it’s almost relevant.
I’d even go as far as claiming that “how do I get it out next time?” is appropriately answered by “don’t get it in there next time”.
Especially as we’ve solved the “how do I get it out this time?”
you mention that you know the source. care to share so the next guy doesn’t do it too?
I run Etoh and was doing some R&D with some fresh frozen…
Did a first wash at cryo temps before a secondary wash at room temp to remove any target compounds left behind. I know the second wash pulled a lot of the water from the frozen material and was just looking to see if anyone was utilizing a method that could remove the water earlier in the process to alleviate the painfully long winterization times. so far it looks like i’ll be cold filtering all day 