Wiped Film Evaporation and Hemp Processing

Description

If you’ve ever seen that beautiful, golden CBD distillate and wondered to yourself, “how do they make that?” The answer lies in wiped film evaporators. In this presentation, extraktLAB founder, president and CEO, and separations scientist, Jon Thompson, discusses the ins and outs of wiped film evaporation including equipment, methodology, best operating processes and much much more. When it comes to creating a quality CBD distillate product, wiped film evaporation is absolutely critical. Wiped film evaporation refers to evaporation of cannabinoid rich oils from a hot surface as a wiper creates a thin film on the evaporation surface. Wiped film apparatuses used in hemp and botanical distillation are not usually fixed distance but typically use “comb” shaped wipers to mix the oil on the surface of the oil while simultaneously creating a thin film at the surface. A thin film is important so that efficient evaporation can occur. Since distillation using wiped film evaporation is much faster, wiped film equipment is generally considered a more gentle way to distill an oil. The time that the oil experiences exposure to high heat is short, so many reactive compounds do not have time to react and degrade the residue or distillate. Typical residence time in wiped film equipment is on the order of minutes. To find out more about this critical step in creating CBD distillate, listen to Dr. Jon’s presentation on Wiped Film Evaporation and Hemp Processing.