THC Extraction
While CBD has exploded in popularity within recent years, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) remains the staple cannabinoid in the hemp plant. Though years of controversy and legal precedence has surrounded THC for decades, its medicinal applications and newfound recreational use in legalized states ensures that this cannabinoid is going nowhere – which means THC extraction is critical for profitable hemp businesses.
As the future of hemp accelerates forward, extraction becomes increasingly more popular in the hemp and hemp industry. With THC extract products ranging in potency from 75%-99%, practicing THC extraction methods are important for creating popular products that customers will seek out in the current market. As a producer in legal hemp jurisdictions, nailing down THC extraction is very important, and we would like to show you how.
Introduction to THC Extraction
When talking about extraction in the hemp and hemp industry, it’s important to understand the basics. In terms of THC extraction, the psychoactive compound has to be removed from the plant biomass in order to be purified and formulated into high purity THC products. There are various THC extraction methods available to accomplish this, but all of them serve the same overall purpose of stripping THC from its source and creating products from it.
Most commonly, a form of solvent is introduced to ground hemp biomass which will strip a variety of plant components from the material. The mixture of solvent and plant components then needs to go through a number of processes in order to remove the solvent as completely as possible from the desired THC and other organic compounds. After a final process of distillation, a highly pure, highly potent form of THC is left for product formulation.
Now that we have touched briefly on the process itself, let’s explore THC extraction in detail.
How to Extract Pure THC
There are a wide array of ways to extract THC from the hemp plant that result in a plethora of THC products:
- Solvent extracts: Using one of the above mentioned THC extraction methods, solvent extracts are made often on a large scale in facilities designed for high throughput on a commercial scale. These extracts are very similar in composition, but may differ slightly in their potency and residual contents depending on the solvent used.
- Rick Simpson Oil: Commonly referred to as RSO, this extract is commonly made in smaller settings using food grade ethanol to soak the entirety of the marijuana flower to create a dark, potent oil intended for ingestion. Simple and potent, it is now a common extract used for medicinal purposes in very painful or debilitating diseases.
- Kief/Hash: One of the most simple extracts, “kief” is the result of trichomes that are sifted through a mesh screen – often in the bottom of a grinder. This powdery substance is relatively potent compared to the flower of the plant, but is not quite as potent as other extracts. Hash is created in roughly the same manner, but often on a larger scale. The sifted material is then heated and pressed to make a solid brick that can be smoked whole or broken up and added to flower.
- Rosin: Gaining in popularity, rosin is created without a solvent, but yields very similar results to that of some solvent extracts. A heated press is used to crush the marijuana flower to create a tacky, translucent extract without changing the chemical composition as solvent extractions do.
THC Extraction Methods
When it comes to THC extraction methods using common solvents, there are a few that are prevalent in the hemp industry. However, all are not created equally and some may contain their own potential risks for both producers and consumers alike:
Hydrocarbon
Extractions using hydrocarbons are effective, but not 100% safe in production or consumption. Common solvents in this category are hexane, propane and butane – all of which are extremely flammable and cannot be considered organic solvents. This drastically increases risk for fire hazards. For consumers it is not guaranteed that all of the solvent will be removed from a product even through the distillation process. Though the remaining solvents would be minimal, little research has been conducted that daily use of these products is entirely safe.
Ethanol
Ethanol is a very effective method for extracting cannabinoids but can be possibly detrimental for the end user. Organic solvents like food grade ethanol is a relatively safe option but it is often too expensive for a profitable extraction business. Because of this, extractors often turn to denatured ethanol which contains chemical denaturants used to deter recreational consumption. Despite denatured ethanol being created to prevent human consumption, it is still used in hemp extraction. In fact, the FDA allows for certain Parts Per Million (PPM) of pentane, methanol, hexane and other denaturants in extracts that are still considered “safe” for consumption.
CO2
CO2 is the safest, and most efficient extraction method with the lowest long-term costs for manufacturing. In its supercritical state, CO2 is converted to a liquid. It is important that the CO2 is a liquid in order to mix with the raw materials in order to strip the desired compounds during extraction. While ethanol and butane are not organic solvents, liquid CO2 is natural which also allows for obtaining organic certification and reduces harmful emissions that are harmful to the environment. There are no chemical denaturants or residuals left in a CO2 extraction process making it safe for human regular human consumption without any question for concern.
Each of these THC extraction methods are suitable for a quality extract, but it is clear that some pose more of a risk when compared to supercritical CO2 extraction. For that reason, extraktLAB chooses CO2 as the best THC extraction method for customers in legal jurisdictions for THC extraction and provide the highest quality extraction machines in the hemp extraction industry.
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THC Extraction Machines
There are a number of THC extraction machines available on the market, many of which are reputable, safe, and efficient. While some are tailored specifically to the aforementioned THC extraction methods above, others can use a number of solvents in order to achieve an efficient extraction. At extraktLAB, we stand behind the science of supercritical CO2 extractors due to their selectivity, throughput capacity, and long-term profitability.
Supercritical CO2 extractors use carbon dioxide (CO2) at an elevated temperature and pressure to extract soluble compounds like THC from the hemp biomass. Carbon dioxide above the critical temperature (31ºC) and pressure (1071 psi) becomes a supercritical fluid, which has an increased capacity for diffusion of molecules and solubilizing non-polar compounds. Raising the temperature and pressure of the liquid CO2 even further provides highly efficient extractions of oils in a short period of time.
The (ScCO2) extraction has become the preferred method for extracting THC and CBD oils to serve markets with the most demanding standards for safety, quality, purity and consistency. It is also preferred by consumers for the same reasons, and progressive brands are boldly stating “ScCO2 extraction” on package labels.
THC Safety Concerns and Recommendations
As with anything, cautious moderation is often key to the safe use of nearly any product on the market. The same can be said of THC. Because THC extraction methods create a highly potent product – up to 5X the potency of regular flower – using THC extract products can be detrimental to some who may be sensitive to the compound. As a consumer, it is very important to use only a small amount initially of any THC extract to be certain it is not too potent for the individual. For producers, it may be beneficial to indicate the potency of an extract including a warning label and/or a percent of THC label on the product packaging.
Because THC is psychoactive, it cannot be recommended for everyone and may cause more harm than good for some. Studies have shown that regular use of THC for individuals prone to psychiatric disorders, or adolescents can result in psychosis, or other underlying psychiatric disorders to come forward. For this reason, it is very important that users gauge their own personality and potential for risk when using THC extract products of any kind.
In terms of production of THC extracts, our recommendation is to stick to the tried and true, safe, quality THC extraction method: supercritical CO2 extraction. Lacking the risk of flammability of combustibility, it remains the safest option for large scale extraction and remains the best possible option for safe product formulation for customers.
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