From Essential Oils to Perfumes, from food additives to beauty products, several extraction systems have been used for decades to extract these products. However, these extraction methods have evolved with time to become for safer, quicker and efficient.
One of the latest and advanced methods to extraction is via Closed Loop Extraction System, using state-of-the-art closed-loop extraction machines. This machine is much safer than the previous used Open Blasting Extractors, as a closed-loop system provides a more reliable way to work with flammable solvents, where there are no openings in the extraction machine. Hence, holding the solvents in a safe, environment-friendly and contained place.
On the other hand, open-blasting methods involve dangerous, inefficient and sloppy procedures, where a large number of solvents and impurities remain in the product, in addition to the excess amount of chemical consumption. It was all due to the unavailability of a vacuum pump that could be used to recapture and reuse the solvent. Moreover, Open blasting method doesn’t prevent the flammable solvents from leaking out, therefore, increasing the chances of fire hazards.
The safety and efficiency of the Closed Loop Extraction Machines, has opened the door for creating cannabis concentrates in much for an easier and safer way. Consequently, helping many people in the hemp industry to create businesses with these closed-loop extractors.
So what exactly is the Closed Loop Extraction System and does it work?
It is a Professional setup, which enables the extraction artists to reduce the risk of explosion by reusing the solvent.
This setup involves professional methods for operating control valves and by maintaining pressure all times. Here, a solvent travels in a loop to extract oils out of plants. There are three major components of a closed-loop system; the solvent tank, the metal jacket column for material and the collection base. Every setup uses a combination of these three components with valves and different connections. Some more advanced systems may have multiple material columns, multiple solvent tanks or a combination of all three.
The solvent tank holds the solvent you will use to extract the oil from the plant, the material column is just a tube where you put the plant, and the collection base is where your extracted oil will be at the end of the extraction.
The first step is to open the solvent tank and have all your solvent (usually butane or propane) to begin flooding the material column where the plant is. As the solvent makes contact with the plant, the essential oils will start to dissolve into the solvent. As it works its way through the material, the essential oils will continue to be dissolved, leaving us with a solvent and oil mixture.
Once the solvent and oil mixture falls into the collection base, we now must separate the two. To do this, we must evaporate the solvent. Since this is a closed-loop, we will also need to recollect the evaporated solvent back into our solvent tank. This is done by placing the collection base in warm water and placing the solvent tank and dry ice or ice water. The solvent will evaporate from the heated oil and recollect in the cold solvent tank, or it can be used again later.