Steam distillation of winterized absolute

[NEGT1]

Does anyone know how many levels/fractions have to occur in the process?

 

[Chonkski]

Getting closer and closer. Thanks to the help of a few brothers i have been able to understand more and more as the reading continues.

Here are some interested variables worth starting with as well

Wonder what GreyWolf would do

 

[BrainChild]

I really dig your enthusiasm chronkski, I'll be following this for sure. Thanks for taking the leap.

I bet Horatio Delbert could drop some knowledge on this. Have you followed him at all? Seems like he had to figure out some of this higher BP distillation out with his LHO. The fact that d-limonene boils at a higher temp than THC was a problem solved with a vacuum rotary evaporator...according to some if his posts.

Just a thought, good luck

 

[NEGT1]

Getting closer and closer. Thanks to the help of a few brothers i have been able to understand more and more as the reading continues.

Here are some interested variables worth starting with as well

Wonder what GreyWolf would do

Is a setup that was posted earlier, viable in this case? Wouldn't multiple stages be needed?

I've come to this conclusion though. While we can all hoot and holler about "clear", those people will be wiped out in 5 seconds when a billion dollar pharma co. comes out with synthetic oil. Meaning you won't need to grow a plant, it will be infinitely cheaper to mass produce synthetic THC with synthetic cannabis and synthetic terps.

At this point there's really only marketing value in deriving THC from a plant in pure oil form only to add terps derived from other sources. If people are willing to buy "clear", I have to imagine they'll purchase a synthetic oil. And that's not a shot at the consumer, I just think it's reality. So the "clear" as a product will be left in the middle with a high price but little marketing value in terms of potency or being "natural" as it's in between an all natural oil and a purely synthetic oil.

While it might not seem so "crude" at this point, it may at some point in the near future be looked at that way.

 

[RegisPhilburn1]

Is a setup that was posted earlier, viable in this case? Wouldn't multiple stages be needed?

I've come to this conclusion though. While we can all hoot and holler about "clear", those people will be wiped out in 5 seconds when a billion dollar pharma co. comes out with synthetic oil. Meaning you won't need to grow a plant, it will be infinitely cheaper to mass produce synthetic THC with synthetic cannabis and synthetic terps.

At this point there's really only marketing value in deriving THC from a plant in pure oil form only to add terps derived from other sources. If people are willing to buy "clear", I have to imagine they'll purchase a synthetic oil. And that's not a shot at the consumer, I just think it's reality. So the "clear" as a product will be left in the middle with a high price but little marketing value in terms of potency or being "natural" as it's in between an all natural oil and a purely synthetic oil.

While it might not seem so "crude" at this point, it may at some point in the near future be looked at that way.

What do you propose would be the feedstock for such a synthetic pathway? Synthesizing compounds is usually no where near as cheap as sourcing the compounds naturally. Think cannabis on a big AG scale.

 

[sound and fury]

This is probably a noob question, but why steam distill the oil instead of just going from the start and steam distilling the plant matter? I assume there's a reason I never see anyone mention doing that, but doesn't that give you the most control at the end of the day? Pull different compounds out based on different temperatures, etc?

I have no practical experience so maybe the answer is obvious, I just know a couple people who have been yapping about making their own essential oils for years. To me it seems that if steam distillation works properly for oils, wouldn't you want to just do it from the start instead of some of the more volatile extraction techniques most people use?

 

[ohenry]

This is probably a noob question, but why steam distill the oil instead of just going from the start and steam distilling the plant matter? I assume there's a reason I never see anyone mention doing that, but doesn't that give you the most control at the end of the day? Pull different compounds out based on different temperatures, etc?

I have no practical experience so maybe the answer is obvious, I just know a couple people who have been yapping about making their own essential oils for years. To me it seems that if steam distillation works properly for oils, wouldn't you want to just do it from the start instead of some of the more volatile extraction techniques most people use?

Water will not strip the oils from the plant matter. This must be done either with dry sifting or solvents. It is at that point that terps may be separated during distillation process.

OH

 

[Chonkski]

Is a setup that was posted earlier, viable in this case? Wouldn't multiple stages be needed?

I've come to this conclusion though. While we can all hoot and holler about "clear", those people will be wiped out in 5 seconds when a billion dollar pharma co. comes out with synthetic oil. Meaning you won't need to grow a plant, it will be infinitely cheaper to mass produce synthetic THC with synthetic cannabis and synthetic terps.

At this point there's really only marketing value in deriving THC from a plant in pure oil form only to add terps derived from other sources. If people are willing to buy "clear", I have to imagine they'll purchase a synthetic oil. And that's not a shot at the consumer, I just think it's reality. So the "clear" as a product will be left in the middle with a high price but little marketing value in terms of potency or being "natural" as it's in between an all natural oil and a purely synthetic oil.

While it might not seem so "crude" at this point, it may at some point in the near future be looked at that way.

I haven't posted a solid setup worth working out of, except the rotovape.. I'm very interested in the distillation from dlimonene.

Clear has built a huge name for themselves, if you live on the west coast, you know very well.

There minimum is 100grams at 35$ a gram. Just to get their oil into your dispensary, would cost you minimum of 3500$!

That's insane if you think about how many shops they are in, I feel safe saying thousands. At least the high hundreds. I know because I travel a lot.

And you think synthetic will put them on the curb?

It's all about hype, and there is no way that's going anywhere soon. The clear is like Jack Daniels was a century ago. Which is why everyone wants to be so stingy with any further refining processes.

 

[NEGT1]

What do you propose would be the feedstock for such a synthetic pathway? Synthesizing compounds is usually no where near as cheap as sourcing the compounds naturally. Think cannabis on a big AG scale.

I have to imagine pharma and their subsidy counterpart chemical companies will figure it out as they did with opiates and amphetamines.

 

[Chonkski]

I really dig your enthusiasm chronkski, I'll be following this for sure. Thanks for taking the leap.

I bet Horatio Delbert could drop some knowledge on this. Have you followed him at all? Seems like he had to figure out some of this higher BP distillation out with his LHO. The fact that d-limonene boils at a higher temp than THC was a problem solved with a vacuum rotary evaporator...according to some if his posts.

Just a thought, good luck

Thanks bro!

You kind of kicked me into this direction! Whether you meant to or not, lol

 

[NEGT1]

I haven't posted a solid setup worth working out of, except the rotovape.. I'm very interested in the distillation from dlimonene.

Clear has built a huge name for themselves, if you live on the west coast, you know very well.

There minimum is 100grams at 35$ a gram. Just to get their oil into your dispensary, would cost you minimum of 3500$!

That's insane if you think about how many shops they are in, I feel safe saying thousands. At least the high hundreds. I know because I travel a lot.

And you think synthetic will put them on the curb?

It's all about hype, and there is no way that's going anywhere soon. The clear is like Jack Daniels was a century ago. Which is why everyone wants to be so stingy with any further refining processes.

I know $3,500 might seem like a lot, but it just kind of goes to show how primitive this industry is.

As much as I want a dozen new fortune 500 companies to pop up from cannabis legalization, I don't see that happening. To backtrack a bit, I do think the clear and their idea will settle and fit into the marketplace, maybe the cost will decline as the technology spreads and becomes cheaper as pretty much everything trends like that. Except for when billion dollar companies produce patents through the court system.

 

[Chonkski]

I know $3,500 might seem like a lot, but it just kind of goes to show how primitive this industry is.

As much as I want a dozen new fortune 500 companies to pop up from cannabis legalization, I don't see that happening. To backtrack a bit, I do think the clear and their idea will settle and fit into the marketplace, maybe the cost will decline as the technology spreads and becomes cheaper as pretty much everything trends like that. Except for when billion dollar companies produce patents through the court system.

I know that doesnt seem like alot, but if they did supply 1000 clubs once every week to two weeks, that's over 7mil a month. From concentrates.

This trend is only getting bigger

 

[flatslabs]

That 100 gram minimum seems awfully close to the amount you would want to melt down to get about 125ml of starting material in a 250ml flask...

 

[primeform]

think i found it chonski

http://www.buchi.com/en/products/laboratory-evaporation/rotavapor-r-215

I think they are 9000 base if your wondering lol

 

[primeform]

http://www.buchi.com/en/products/laboratory-evaporation/rotavapor-r-215

 

[flatslabs]

A b-585 is what I would want

 

[Chonkski]

Thank you primeform.

I have been looking at a buchi model that is half off, priced at 2500$ Still not quite sure this is something I want to pull the trigger on yet until I'm a little more financially inclined.

 

[Chonkski]

A b-585 is what I would want

Indeed! This would be perfect for distilling!

 

[A6 Grower]

I just got a fractional distillation setup and have been messing around with distilling water and dlimonene and in a few days will be giving some low quality oil a try. The boiling points under vacuum im still trying to figure out so ill probably just wing it and collect a few fractions and send them in for testing to see what i got. Was going to use dlimonene as my carrier? I dont know if thats correct though, was just a thought. Would i be able to collect the THC or CBD fractions im looking for and leave the dlimonene behind with any other undesirables since it has a higher BP then THC?

 

[primeform]

I just got a fractional distillation setup and have been messing around with distilling water and dlimonene and in a few days will be giving some low quality oil a try. The boiling points under vacuum im still trying to figure out so ill probably just wing it and collect a few fractions and send them in for testing to see what i got. Was going to use dlimonene as my carrier? I dont know if thats correct though, was just a thought. Would i be able to collect the THC or CBD fractions im looking for and leave the dlimonene behind with any other undesirables since it has a higher BP then THC?

What setup you using? got a pic?