Most Popular CBD Extraction Methods

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Prioritizing the best CBD products necessitates meticulous attention to detail at each stage of the manufacturing process. Certainly, you can produce high-quality CBD oil with a high proportion of CBD compound in it, but without the right extraction and distillation processes, it’s all for naught. So people often end up asking questions like which CBD extraction method is the most reliable and popular.

This article will certainly look comprehensively into the known extraction processes and let you know the best, reliable, and most popular CBD extraction methods.

A Brief Tour On Cannabis and CBD Extraction Methods

Since it was legalized in most states of the United States, cannabis has taken on a variety of forms and bi-products. It has been observed that cannabis is a great plant and is widely known for its remarkable therapeutic benefits and it is notorious for creating a high state i.e. exhibiting psychoactive effects after smoking.

To make it simple, cannabis’s effects can be understood by its chemical compounds that are organic in nature. The therapeutic benefits of cannabis come from CBD (also known as cannabidiol) while the psychoactive effects occur due to the presence of another form of cannabidiol called THC.

So, it is important to enhance the features of the good cannabidiol to get the most health benefits. But the concern is THC, which is often related to addiction. That is why CBD extraction is highly crucial to create CBD-rich supplements, which will have less THC.

There are 5 common CBD extraction methods as discussed below. Let’s find out which is the most popular CBD extraction method.

1. CO2 Extraction Method

CO2 extraction process is the most commonly used approach within the vast CBD oil industry and this method is also known as SFE or Supercritical Fluid Extraction. The method uses carbon dioxide in a supercritical form i.e. a form of carbon dioxide, which exists in both gas and liquid state.

Using multiple chambers, the CO2 extraction method will involve high pressure to blend hemp plant matter and CO2 following which, the supercritical carbon dioxide form will break down the plant matter causing the oil to separate from the leaves.

This process is believed to be damaging most terpenes and heat-sensitive chemicals in the extraction process and will be quite unpleasant to smell (due to loss of terpenes) however, this process can extract bigger molecules such as lipids (omega 3 and 6), chlorophyll, and waxes. The process and machinery involved in this process may be expensive but they produce high yields. 

2. Subcritical CBD Extraction

This approach involves processing CO2 and hemp plant material using low temperature and low pressure, unlike the Supercritical Fluid Extraction process. The subcritical CBD extraction usually takes more time and produces lower yields than the supercritical approach, but the main benefit is that this approach helps to keep the plant’s essential oils, terpenes, and other vital compounds.

It has been found that the low pressure and low heating technique is mostly responsible for the stickiness of the CBD oil even after successful extraction due to the presence of resins of the plant material.

3. Solvent Extraction

Most small businesses and startups employ this strategy because it is very economical to start with at a low capacity. Instead of utilizing water, a solvent is used to separate the hemp plant material from the oil. In this method, natural solvents such as ethanol, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil as well as hydrocarbon solvents can be employed with the hemp plant material.

The main problem with this is that if you are using hydrocarbon solvent; make sure that there is not much hydrocarbon residue left in the final product. The higher the hydrocarbon amount, the higher the toxicity of the CBD oil. 

4. Dry Ice Extraction

This process involves dry ice cubes and hemp plant material. The processing is then followed by the addition of water while the mixture is strained through a chain of fine mesh bags or filters. The final extract comes in a powder form after drying and settles at the bottom of the container and it is usually sticky in nature. This extract is commonly known as hash or bubble hash

Although the process is economical and produces a high yield, yet it is marred with laborious methodologies that take more time. Also, there is no fixed machinery involved in this and hence, it becomes more difficult to determine the right measurements of material for quality extract. 

5. Steam Extraction

This process is similar to solvent extraction but here, hot steam from the heated water is used instead of oil or ethanol. 

The process is also economical like solvent extraction and can be used for small business purposes but as the steam temperature cannot be controlled or regulated, it may damage the CBD compound and even the plant material as a whole. Conclusion: The most efficient extraction method is the CO2 extraction process due to its high quality and yield on an industrial scale. When buying CBD oil products for health purposes, you should always inquire about the extraction method employed during the manufacturing process. Products made with the CO2 extraction method may be a little bit expensive but you will be assured of high-quality CBD oil.