Molecular Sieve Filter

[montroller]

That labsorbent is really pricey at $400 for 10 lbs

I wonder if this stuff off amazon is comparable? It is only $200 for 50 lbs but they don't have a pic :/

 

[IlDeuceIV]

That labsorbent is really pricey at $400 for 10 lbs

I wonder if this stuff off amazon is comparable? It is only $200 for 50 lbs but they don't have a pic :/

The beads you linked are 4A

I believe we need type 3A, where the rating is like the size of the filtration media pore. Sizes above 4A begin to absorb our solvent in this case (c4H10 and c3h8) where even a bead rated 4A will be absorbing our propane.

 

[HG23]

I've been trying to sort this out too. Butane and propane are saturated hydrocarbons or alkanes.

I keep seeing 4A sieve beads recommended from saturated hydrocarbon streams, but I think you're right that they might filter some propane out if you're using a gas mix. 3A's seem to be recommended for unsaturated hydrocarbon streams which are the alkenes and are a little different.

 

[G.O. Joe]

3A isn't that expensive, check out adcoa.net. They're regenerated by pouring them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet or something and heating them in the oven at 475 to constant weight, then pouring them out hot through a metal funnel to a metal can and sealing until cool.

The beads can be a little dusty - it's a very fine dust - so you might want to wash them with butane before loading.

 

[SkyHighLer]

Now it seems that you are removing moisture which has contaminated your butane from previous runs. Is there anything that can be done about removing moisture which is coming from the material being extracted?(aside from drying it further prior to extraction) Once the contaminated butane has landed in the collection pot, are we even evaporating a significant amount of it when recovering the gas?

As I've said before I don't run a CLS, so wtf do I know... but I'm getting a picture in my head regarding the moisture/water build up I'd like to state as clearly as possible as food for thought.

I'll start with something A6 Grower made clear to me backchannel, he uses the pour out method, and believes this traps the extracted moisture in the solvent/oil mixture, therefore he's only returning dry butane to his recovery tank. He's still using filter dryers religiously though, so I assume he's not absolutely sure of his theory. Makes sense though, so this is my basis.

As I understand it, butane holds water, it will only take so much and then the excess drops out, the collected water in the bottom of your recovery tanks exemplifies it.

Once you've got water sitting in the bottom of your recovery tank the liquid butane you draw out through the dip tube will be fully saturated with moisture!!!

Do you want to extract with butane fully saturated with moisture???


Here's my input: add a second recovery tank. The first, main tank remains the return tank, and is allowed to collect water. From the first tank, butane is distilled off to the second tank which is kept 'dry,' the dry butane in the second tank feeds your extractor from it's dip tube.

Yeah it adds another layer of complexity, I don't like it, I really believe in keeping things as simple as possible, but budder sucks when you don't want it, and starting with dry butane imo should lessen the chance of budder caused by excessive moisture during purge.

 

[Hydrosun]

It works great, but slows recovery a bit. Also, it takes the water out
at a rate of about 10ml per run I would guess. Kinda hard to know how
much was in there in the first place. I've only been using it when
I plan to make shatter.

Didn't you get the 9.8ml from one run, but a double pass? So maybe it extracts 5ml per pass?

 

[montroller]

I wonder how this affects how much solvent we think we are losing. Like if we weigh our tanks before and after and lose a pound, did we actually lose a pound of solvent or did we lose more solvent and picked up some water weight. Is there any way to test how saturated your butane is?

 

[Roji]

I'm having thoughts of turning cheap vodka into 95% ethanol by pouring it through this several times.


Thoughts?

 

[GratefulOne]

I'm having thoughts of turning cheap vodka into 95% ethanol by pouring it through this several times.


Thoughts?

Wouldn't it be easier to distil the cheap vodka into etoh?

 

[Roji]

Wouldn't it be easier to distil the cheap vodka into etoh?

That is also on my list of things to try but I do not believe it would be easier. Id rather be drying out beads in an oven than standing in front of a still.

 

[G.O. Joe]

Alcohol with traces of ketone and aldehyde impurities would at a minimum need a good polishing with activated carbon, before soaking for a couple days in 3A sieves, because the sieves are bases that slowly catalyze condensation of traces of those things and turn your colorless vodka yellow or brown. Forums like homedistiller might elaborate, but their focus is probably on distillation. There will be mechanical losses from a whole bunch of sieve beads wetted with your end product.

Enough 3A beads and time - powder would work better - will take wet but otherwise pure ethanol to 99.99% purity.

 

[Dab Strudel]

So kcar, RP, and the rest of you cool cats making these 10 months ago, how do they do for you now? Do yoy still use them or have you moved on to a better way of removing moisture? I'm thinking of making some for my new biggins that im making along with a few (2-4) filter dryers, but I kind of feel like I'm going overboard with all that. I just want to make shatter, I'm sick of buddering all my gsc, 300g of gsc budder or worse but I lack in many departments atm so I know not to expect shatter until ido a few upgrades. Back to the sieve, should I go 1.5x12, 2x12, 2x6, 3x6? I run 3x36 columns but I dont know about the coverage if I go 3x6. With all these awesome innovations, I wonder who will be the first to start meshing their own gaskets, especially if you have to go ptfe for cooler temps.

 

[Dab Strudel]

So can anyone elaborate on what the going volume it's for this molecular sieve, its best dimensions, and where it/they should go?

 

[thepanda]

Any update on this?

 

[MtnDawg]

How is this working out for you, now that you've been using it for a while? Also, I'm curious... Why did you use JIC connectors on the ends instead of the ubiquitous 45 degree SAE spec?

 

[Permacultuure]

Okay, here we go........

 

[Permacultuure]

 

[A6 Grower]

Waiting on a few parts i forgot to order then ill toss mine together and get some pics and data up also. Looking good from what i can see. I really need to get some bigger tanks, Im jealous lol

 

[flatslabs]

Perma: I dig your choice in scale, I hope you know there is a better mode for lbs (without ounces) if you press the unit button once =)

 

[Permacultuure]

Yeah, that unit button has almost been a seriously problem, damn kilos....

And a wise man once told me
" watch the penny's and the dollars take care of themselves"

Any extra accuracy I'm good with