Here at Airmid Hemp Extracts company, we know how important it is to utilize the right extraction process for CBD oil. Today, we’re going to talk about how to extract CBD oil.
This is a complex process that requires premium equipment. Trying to shortchange it will lead to a low-quality substance that can potentially cause damage to your health.
Whether we’re talking about gummies, topicals, or anything else, the CBD manufacturing process always starts with extraction. CBD or cannabidiol is the most common chemical found in the hemp plant. When a company extracts cannabidiol from a plant, they will first isolate the chemical from the plant material, and then they will create a highly distilled substance.
As you probably know, these substances have a very strong impact on our health. If you don’t use the right extraction process, there is a chance that some of these beneficial hemp chemicals will be destroyed in the process.
In this article, we will teach you how to extract CBD oil and what the process entails. Enjoy!
How is CBD oil extracted from the hemp plant?
Some of the hemp processing can be really easy. For example, you can even create cannabidiol edibles at home.
But, when it comes to hemp extraction within large manufacturing facilities, there are two main methods that businesses rely on. Each one of them produces CBD oil of great quality.
CO2 or carbon dioxide extraction
Carbon dioxide is a gas that can be used for various purposes. Nowadays, it is often used by various types of businesses as a way of removing chemicals from plants. This specific method utilizes gas in its natural state. It can also rely on CO2’s supercritical form.
A company has to use a special type of chamber that we refer to as closed-loop extraction. During the extraction process, CO2 gas will first be compressed within this chamber, and it will turn into a liquid form.
Then, this new liquid will be sprayed over hemp, where it will remove all the beneficial substances. The liquid will then be heated and pressurized, at which point the liquid CO2 will revert back to gas and evaporate. All that is left when the gas evaporates is CBD oil.
The reason why companies love CO2 extraction is that you can scale it with the business. It also provides a high degree of versatility.
When the oil is extracted, it can be further processed. For example, you can add various terpenes to it. The type of oil that is unprocessed (it stays in the same form after extraction) is called full-spectrum CBD oil, and it is the most common product on the market.
Solvent extraction
Besides CO2, a lot of companies use solvents such as alcohol and butane to extract CBD oil from hemp. The method is very similar to CO2 extraction. However, it is much cheaper and faster.
This extraction process can also utilize a closed-loop chamber. The only difference is that instead of spraying plant material with liquid CO2, it will be sprayed with ethanol, butane, propane, or some other liquid. Again, this process will release beneficial chemicals.
It is very important that you slowly heat and cool the solvent so that you can safely remove it from CBD. Otherwise, there is a chance that solvents will remain within the wellness substance and even damage them.
The biggest issue of this method is that that certain types of solvents might also extract impurities from hemp. Due to this, the final product might have a very bad taste.
Most of the chemicals used for solvent extraction are very volatile. They can easily start a fire, which is why only a skilled professional should try this procedure. The whole process of extraction is rather quick, and you can do it within one afternoon (3 to 4 hours on average).
What to do when you extract CBD oil?
When you get the oil, you can start with the procedure called winterization. During this step, a company will eliminate all the unwanted chemicals that survived the extraction. This includes fats, waxes, and everything else that we don’t actually need within the oil.
Basically, this is a process of purification. It got its name because extraction processionals will add ethanol to CBD and freeze the mixture. When the substance is frozen, all these substances will change into a solid state.
Then, they will start falling out from the solution. All the substances are filtered, and unwanted stuff is removed. Lastly, the expert will also remove the solvent.
A company may further process the substance after this. That way, they can get the purest form of cannabidiol.
During the last optional stage, an additional distillation will be performed. In many ways, it is similar to winterization, but it relies on pressure. The substance will be heated so that the unwanted material boils off. However, the heat won’t be strong enough to destroy cannabinoids.
What is the best extraction method?
All experts agree that CO2 extraction provides much better results. It will give you high-quality CBD oil that cannot compare with any other substance on the market. Airmid Hemp Extracts team supports this; we only use the CO2 method for our hemp extracts.
When you create a product with solvents, they are more likely to be of lower quality. They might have a lot of unnecessary material that will only take space within the bottle.
Furthermore, this is why products created with the solvent method usually have a shorter shelf life.
Is it possible to get CBD oil at home?
Basically, you shouldn’t even consider the CO2 extraction method for home as it would be too expensive. But, if you’re able to set up a simple infusion process, there is a chance you will be able to might good quality products without endangering your health.
No matter what you do, make sure to avoid the solvent method or some even worse processes. Some of these solvents can be very harmful to human health. Even if you use them properly, there is always a risk of fire.