Professionals begin the process with oil extraction from the cannabis plant. This initial step separates the cannabis plant matter from its resinous trichomes. These sticky trichomes, also known as resin glands, produce and store the plant’s most valued components, which are cannabinoids, terpenoids, and flavonoids.
Below we have shown the basics of how a closed-loop system works for primary extraction. It begins with a solvent tank, then washing the solvent over your biomass material to separate the trichomes, then proceeding to the collection tank, and finally returning the solvent back to the original tank with the assistance of an active solvent recovery method.
The second step in cannabis distillation is winterization. This cold-temperature-based process removes unwanted impure compounds—like fats, chlorophyll, and waxes—from the crude oil collected from extraction. Winterization is completed by adding ethanol to the crude oil and storing the mixture at temperatures below freezing for up to 24 hours. Holding the crude oil at cold temperatures for an extended period of time allows the unwanted compounds to coagulate so they can be filtered out.
The next step in making cannabis distillate is decarboxylation. The decarboxylation process is when the non-psychoactive compounds CBDa and THCa get converted into their neutral, active forms CBD and THC. This chemical reaction occurs by applying heat under vacuum to the miscella which in turn releases carbon dioxide (CO2), residual solvent and highly volatile compounds in the extract like terpenes. It is critical that “decarb” be performed properly before entering the next step called distillation, because any residual CO2 in the miscella will interfere with the vacuum depths trying to be achieved in the distillation system.
Now that we have extracted our cannabinoids, removed the fats and waxes, activated our CBD and THC compounds, and removed the residual solvent from our miscella extract, we can begin the final step known as distillation.
During distillation, the miscella gets heated at varying temperatures under vacuum. When specific boiling temperatures are reached the compounds will turn into vapor and pass through a chilled condensing head which will effectively re-condense the vapors back into a liquid form.
This process of heating and re-cooling separates the different compounds in your miscella, commonly referred to as “fractions.” There are typically 3 fractions collected – heads, tails and main body. The “main” fraction is the segment which contains your purified and concentrated distillate. It is not uncommon for processors to make multiple distillation passes to further distill their oil.
CBD distillate is a thick, golden amber liquid that is produced when hemp extract is winterised in ethanol and then distilled. By precisely heating and cooling the resulting vapor the distillation process removes many of the impurities.
The result is a potent blend of cannabinoids and terpenes. Distillate should be crystal clear with no visible cloudiness or floating particles. A high-quality CBD distillate can contain up to 90% cannabinoids.
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