With the legalization of cannabis in many states, more and more people are looking for ways to make their own cannabis products. One of the latest products to gain popularity is CO2 oil, a type of cannabis extract that is used in a variety of products, including vape pens and edibles. Making your own CO2 oil at home may seem like a daunting task, but with the right equipment and ingredients, it is a relatively straightforward process. In this article, we will discuss the basics of making CO2 oil at home, as well as some tips and tricks to ensure you get the highest-quality product.
What type of equipment is necessary to make CO2 oil?
To make CO2 oil, you will need a closed-loop CO2 extractor, a collection vessel, a CO2 tank, a vacuum chamber, a vacuum pump, and a collection vessel. Additionally, you’ll need labware such as beakers, graduated cylinders, and a separatory funnel. You will also need laboratory grade solvents such as ethanol and isopropyl alcohol. Finally, you will need filtering materials such as cheesecloth, coffee filters, and syringes.
What is the process for creating CO2 oil?
CO2 oil is an extract made from cannabis flowers that is used in edibles, topicals, and other cannabis products. The process of creating CO2 oil involves extracting the cannabinoids from the cannabis flower using pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) as a solvent. The CO2 is then heated and pressurized, resulting in a liquid that contains the cannabinoids and terpenes of the plant. This liquid is then further refined and filtered until the desired consistency and potency are achieved.
What ingredients are needed to make CO2 oil?
In order to make CO2 oil, you will need a supercritical CO2 extraction machine, organic cannabis flower, and a solvent-free oil carrier such as coconut oil or olive oil. You will also need to use a high-grade cannabis strain for the process. The flower must be dry and free of any debris before the extraction process begins. Once everything is in place, the CO2 extraction machine will use carbon dioxide to extract the desired compounds from the flower. The process is done at a very low temperature and pressure, which helps to preserve terpenes and other compounds. Finally, the oil carrier is added to the extracted compounds, which is then filtered, bottled, and ready for use.
How long does it take to make CO2 oil?
The exact time it takes to make CO2 oil varies depending on the method used. Generally speaking, it takes about 3-5 hours to complete the process using a closed-loop system. This includes the initial set-up, extraction, and post-processing. Alternatively, it may take a few days if using a cold-drip system.
Is there any specialized training needed to make CO2 oil?
Yes, specialized training is required to make CO2 oil. People should have a basic understanding of chemistry and the process of extraction in order to properly use and handle the CO2 extraction equipment. Additionally, specialized training will teach people how to properly use the CO2 oil in various applications. Training courses are available at various institutions, ranging from technical and vocational schools to universities.
Many medical and recreational cannabis consumers prefer to inhale a cool, instantly-rejuvenating, cannabinoid-infused vapor as opposed to the comparably harsh combusted cannabis smoke. However, many health-conscientious cannabis concentrate consumersyou included, perhapsprefer to avoid all together inhaling residual petroleum particles from butane hash oil into their lungs. So are you ready for a cleaner, purer, tastier, safer and overall truly higher-quality cannabis concentrate? Well, have we got a treat for you supercritical CO2 extraction! This post will break down a bit of the basics behind supercritical fluid extraction and the biochemical benefits of CO2 extracted cannabis concentrates. Supercritical CO2 is increasingly being used as a cheap, recyclable, and environmentally safe industrial solvent for creating high quality. Source dailydabs But why, exactly, is it so popular? Carbon dioxide CO2 usually behaves as a gas at standard temperature and pressure i. That gas can be changed to a solid without much effort. This solid state is known as dry ice. These are the two most-common phases of CO2 that appear outside a lab. With special equipment i. This liquid CO2 is the starting point for our CO2 extraction. Just know that when you increase the temperature and pressure of liquid CO2, the fluid becomes supercritical. This means that it can adopt properties midway between a gas and a liquid at the same time. Mind blown, right? A supercritical fluid can fill a container like a gas while still maintaining its density like a liquid. And because the solubility in CO2 varies with pressure, supercritical CO2 can be used to extract selected compounds rather than a combination of all compounds with just a few small adjustments. Source yara. As you can see in the diagram above, you start with liquid CO2 top left corner. You raise the pressure of the liquid CO2 via a compressor top middle , and then raise the temperature via a heater top right. The supercritical CO2 is then passed through some high-grade pot contained in an extractor bottom right corner. This solution the supercritical CO2 containing all the ganja good stuff is then passed through a separator bottom middle where it is broken down into its constituent parts. This liquid is then sent to the storage tank where it can be used to restart the process. Decreasing the pressure on the CO2 after the extraction process is complete allows the liquid CO2 molecules to turn back into a gas and evaporate into the atmosphere. This is probably the simplest part of the whole procedure just leave the extracts out at room temperature. Some industrial supercritical machines can even simplify this process by recapturing, recycling and reusing the CO2 gases that are given off when extraction is complete. Source forum. In other words, CO2 extraction is the key to understanding the hidden medical benefits of the other, less prevalent, cannabinoids and how they work together a process known as the entourage effect when the whole plant is used as medicine. Yes, you may be able to treat certain conditions like nausea, chronic pain, and psychosis with just THC or just CBD, but other illnesses will go untreated. To really unlock the potential of the cannabis plant, you need to take everything together. Doing so makes a wide variety of new treatments and effects possible. For example, the combination of all the cannabis compounds together makes the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD , arthritis, and migraines possible. The interaction of all the chemicals produces a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate parts known as synergy. A great example of synergy can be shown by the combination of pinene, myrcene, and caryophyllene. The terpene pinene helps counteract cognition malfunction and memory loss caused by THC. A combination of pinene, myrcene, and caryophyllene helps stave off anxiety. Myrcene can decrease resistance in the blood-brain barrier which can enable easier passage of beneficial chemicals. If you extract only THC or only CBD, you miss out on all the other beneficial cannabinoids that can be found in the whole plant. The absence of these substances can, at the very least, cause a bad trip and, at the very worst, cause the medicinal value of your marijuana to be zero. The customization and flexibility of supercritical CO2 extraction means that we can delve deeper into how all these cannabinoids work together to produce the beneficial effects that we have come to know and love. In addition, supercritical CO2 extraction will probably help growers breed wildly new strains of cannabis with undreamt of, yet-to-be-discovered, miraculous medicinal health benefits. Source medicaljane.