Below are the most commonly asked questions about our extraction process and product results. Please contact us if you are looking for more specific details.
What is the extraction process?
Cold Ethanol Extraction
The process uses an extraction with cold ethanol in an extractor specifically designed for hemp extraction. The ethanol is chilled to enhance to purity of the extract since the impurities namely fats, waxes and lipids are not soluble when the extraction solvent is cold (about -40 C). The ethanol is recovered using a falling film evaporator that is specifically designed for solvent recovery. The crude extract is then thermally decarboxylated by heating it after removing the ethanol and then the decarboxylated extract is then distilled by a CDU 1000 wipe film distillation unit. The refined distillate often will begin to crystallize in the distillate depending on it CBD purity. Crystalline CBD is removed from the mother liquor by filtration.
How efficient is the process?
A: It Varies
The process efficiency is dependent on several factors most certainly the cannabinoid profile of the plant material extracted. Industrial hemp is characterized by having a THC content less than 0.3% by weight. THC and other minor cannabinoids and other compounds represent the other compounds that will co-distill with the CBD when we do the wipe film distillation. Different plant varieties have different cannabinoid profiles with other non-THC or CBD cannabinoids could be several dozen different compounds at very low levels. So the process efficiency to make CBD from hemp extraction depends on the other extractables that come along for the ride. In practice it takes about 50 lbs (22.7 Kgs) of dried plant material to make about 1 kilogram of pure CBD isolate which is about 4% by weight yield. There’s loss of CBD in the mother liquor from the CBD crystallization process which can be reconstituted up to three times before they will no longer crystallize CBD since it’s now enriched with the minor cannabinoids after getting 3 crops of crystals from it. The more potent the plant material is in CBD without the minor cannabinoids like THC to interfere with crystalline formation of CBD enriched distillate, the more efficient the process will be from plant material to CBD product.
What is the terpene profile?
Depends on the plant variety (strain)
The terpene profile will be a function of the terpene profiles of the plant varieties (ie. strain) extracted. Some terpenes from the plant material are removed during the drying process. Terpenes will be fractionated during the wipe film distillation process. The profile of the terpenes isolated will be a fraction obtained. In some cases, the terpene fraction smells great and in other cases it does not. We have to do some R&D on terpene isolation to determine whether or not it’s useful to produce hemp derived terpenes for consumption.
What percent is CBD in the isolate?
The purity of crystalline CBD isolate is 99.99%.
It is processed through a pharmaceutical grade chromatography stack.
Who performs third party testing and how accurate are they?
In-house and 3rd-party laboratories
There will be third party testing at state certified labs that will be providing COAs on the product. These labs like Botanacor (https://www.botanacor.com/) are well versed at testing of CBD isolate using GLP methods used throughout the industry today to test CBD for purity and contamination assessments. In addition there will be in house testing to analyze cannabinoid content of flower, extract intermediates and product samples.
What is Hemp?
Hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops historians know of.
Even George Washington (and six more of our earliest presidents) grew agricultural hemp. They believed that hemp had tremendous value due to its many industrial applications. Hemp has been used for centuries to create rope, paper, clothing, and other textiles. Hemp is often confused with cannabis and they are close genus cousins with each other.
Cannabis has higher levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) while hemp has higher levels of CBD (cannabidiol) or other cannabinoids.
What is CBD?
CBD is one of many cannabinoids found in the cannabis sativa plant.
It is a naturally occurring compound that can be used to interact with the human endocannabinoid system (The system that helps maintain emotional and physiological stability within the body).
What is a cannabinoid?
Cannabinoids are natural compounds found in the cannabis plant.
There are over 100 known cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, two of the most common cannabinoids found are delta-9- etrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Will CBD get me high?
CBD is non-psychoactive.
It doesn’t have the psychoactive compound normally found in THC and doesn’t deliver the “high” that cannabis is most commonly known for.
Is CBD legal to use?
In 2018 the Farm Bill was passed, and it became legal to sell hemp and hemp products in the United States. It removed hemp out from under the umbrella of Marijuana and was no longer considered a controlled substance.
Is it approved by the FDA?
While cannabis plants and derivatives containing less than .03 percent THC are no longer considered a controlled substance by the CSA, the FDA still regulates all hemp products and they must meet any applicable requirements and standards found in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act.
How does CBD work?
The endocannabinoid system is a complex network of cell receptors and neurotransmitters that are responsible for maintaining balance in both body and mind. Much research is being done on CBD’s effects on stress, insomnia, anxiety, irritable bowel symptoms, decreasing chronic pain, inflammation and even post-workout strains.
Find out more about the science here.
