Pure Botanical Extraction
R134a
R134a or tetrafluoroethane, TFE.
R134a extraction passes through the material and changes the gas into a liquid in order to remove the plant’s active chemical components, similar to CO2 extraction,.
The extraction of R134a takes place in a closed-loop extraction system at low pressures and temperatures.
There is no terpene loss during extraction or thermal degradation of the cannabinoids due to the low temperature of the process.
At room temperature, the solvent can easily off-gas from the extract to 0 parts per million giving you a consumable product with much less post processing than traditional extraction methods.
R134a is mildly pressurized and then passed over the biomass to extract the plant’s cannabinoids and terpenes.
A full-spectrum oil is then produced when the solvent is collected in a separation tank.
EFFICIENCY
The full terpene profile of the biomass may be preserved using R134A without any degradation.
R134a is a nonpolar, inert chemical that can efficiently extract desired components from a variety of biomass materials.
Fresh plant material with a greater concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes is the result from the R134A extraction.
R134a extraction is a less intensive process than CO2 extraction, and results in a higher quality extract.
R134a has a higher ability to dissolve unsaturated carboxylic acids and requires 2000% less energy to compress than CO2 extraction does under like conditions.
R134a is the best technology we know of today for extracting and preserving the nutrients of our most valuable plants.
R134a extraction is safe for human health, nontoxic, FDA approved and qualified as GRAS, Generally Recognized As Safe under FDA standards. It has also been approved for usage as a solvent in the EU, by EC Directive 2009/32.
Due to the purity and efficiency, we see R134A as the future of high-quality extraction.
PRECISE
Excellent selectivity for resins. R134a is a non-polar liquified gas that does not react with any plant components in the water phase.
SAFE
This low pressure, low temperature, 3-step process provides the highest safety margin over every other extraction process.
PRECISION & SELECTIVITY
Pure Botanical Extraction captures the plant’s true full spectrum without the demands and added costs associated with winterization and post-processing. R134a is a non-polar liquified gas that does not react with any plant components in the water phase.
PURE BOTANICAL EXTRACTION
Through the Pure Botanical process, we achieve a solventless, high-terpene, strain-based, liquified gas extraction, LGE, process that is safe, automated and precise.
Extraction is conducted in conditions that mimic the real-world environment in which plants naturally mature.
PURE BOTANICAL EXTRACTION
Extraction processes have adapted different techniques popularly used in today’s agriculture, biopharma and petrochemical industries. Experience the best.
UNDERSTANDING TERPENES
THC, CBD, CBG and other cannabinoid content levels are important measures, but real natural, organic cannabis terpenes provide us with the tastes and flavors directly from the plant.
FULL SPECTRUM EXTRACTS
Many competitor products are made or engineered in the laboratory from isolates, monoterpenes or fractions. We rely upon nature to formulate for us.
R134a extraction method versus CO2 extraction for cannabis
We employ a Liquefied Gas Extraction, LGE Technology platform that was initially created in 2004 to support food, pharmacy, and perfumery product manufacturing. We refer to this technology as the PBX Standard, Pure Botanical Extraction, in recognition of the technology’s process and pure outputs.
Post-winterized full-spectrum oils
The cannabis extraction process with R134a is performed at low pressure and room temperature in order to strip the natural oils from the raw cannabis products in a closed-loop system. The gas is slightly pressurized, then driven through the plant material and recovered in a separation tank leaving the full spectrum oil behind. R134a is safe for human health – nontoxic, FDA approved and qualified as GRAS, Generally Recognized As Safe. The European Union approved the usage of the gas as solvent by EC Directive 2009/32.
The small non-polar molecule size and the inert nature of the R134a solvent penetrates the plant tissue extremely well and thoroughly extracts the oil-soluble fractions.
R134a extraction is performed at room temperature conditions and the extraction process is neutral to the plant’s full spectrum oil.
The full terpene profile is collected without degradation of the plant’s components and is easily separated from the solvent. This is why extraction is most often done on fresh flower. The R134A extraction process does not transfer water-soluble compounds like chlorophyll or mold to the extract thus providing a very pure process for extracting plant oils.
Cannabis Extraction Methods
Various extraction methods used to concentrate and target molecules from plants have been around for centuries. Cannabis extraction processes have adapted different techniques popularly used in today’s agriculture, biopharma and petrochemical industries.
There are a few most commonly used extraction methods used in the creation of cannabis crude oil: CO2, hydrocarbon and ethanol. Each method is detailed below.
CO2 extraction
One of the most popular methods of cannabis extraction is through the use of CO2 as a solvent. This method takes advantage of the supercritical properties of CO2 gas required to strip materials from botanical substances. This method of extraction has been used by a variety of industries before it was applied to cannabis, including in the production of perfumes and essential oils.
Cannabinoids have a different molecular structure than essential oils, meaning they cannot be extracted together. Cannabis oil is extracted via CO2 by running supercritical extraction. The cannabis terpenes require subcritical extraction. As a result of having to run two separate processes, the entire extraction process is quite long. CO2 is a low density gas and needs to be pressurized to about ~8800psi / 600atm to become a solvent for those thicker or more viscous oils. CO2 requires post-extraction lipid and wax separation by use of lipophilic solvent, such as ethanol.
Hydrocarbon extraction
Hydrocarbon extraction uses a hydrocarbon, such as butane or propane, as a solvent. The hydrocarbon is washed over the plant matter in order to break it down, before ultimately concentrating a targeted molecule and removing it from the biomass. Hydrocarbon extraction has become popular due to its efficiency in the areas where CO2 falls short. It has a higher yield rate, preserves different terpenes than other methods; the solvent boiling point is still high enough to require solvent vacuum purging and remediation. Chemicals like butane are volatile gases and obviously have a high potential for combustion and flammability, resulting in zoning and storage limitation laws put in place for safety purposes. De-waxing during hydrocarbon extraction is an issue, and secondary solvent de-wax will need to be performed in order to remove any stray lipids that made their way into the oil during extraction.
Ethanol extraction
Extraction done with cold ethanol is below -40°F / -40°C. Winterization uses ethanol and sub-zero temperatures to separate unwanted fats and waxes from the oil. Oil extracted this way has almost no fats and lipids and looks like post-winterized crude. The major disadvantage of ethanol is that it denatures the oil.
Ethanol boils around 176°F / 80°C. In order to be separated from the extract the temperature may exceed 212°F / 100°C, the boiling temperature of water; so, as a result the separated solvent will be diluted in the plant residual moisture. The boiling point of the terpenes is 248°F / 120°C to 356°F / 180°C, which means that the ethanol-water solution will already be contaminated with terpenes and will need to be purified after each run to keep the consistency of the extracts the same every time. This process brings a loss of the solvent to around 15% to 20% of the extractor volume at every run.