CBD Crystals: The Process Of Making CBD Isolate - ExtraktLAB

Decarboxylation

Decarboxylation is a crucial action necessary in the process of making CBD isolate. Decarboxylation can be performed before or after extraction to convert the acidic form of a cannabinoid (CBD-A) into its active form (CBD) so that the body can metabolize and use it. This is done by applying the correct amount of heat under vacuum pressure so as not to ruin the biomass or extract. If this step is done prior to extraction, it will help the extraction process and ultimately increase the efficiency of your isolate production down the line.

Extraction

To extract CBD, the hemp biomass is added to an extraction column where it is combined with the solvent of choice that will strip the cannabinoids, terpenes, fats and waxes from the plant itself. This will create a crude oil that contains all of the plant components before they are refined to create distillate and isolate products.

Winterization

Winterization will be the next phase in the procedure particularly if CO2 is the method of choice. This entails the removal of certain fatty, protein-dense nutrients from the CBD extract. Getting rid of extra wax build-up and excess, unwanted chlorophyll will enhance the quality, grade, and pureness of your CBD isolate.

Winterization happens when the hemp product is subjected to freezing or below-freezing temperatures to further separate the fats and waxes from the CBD oil. Once the fats and waxes solidify under the sub-zero temperatures, you are left with a mixture of solvent and cannabinoids that remain in liquid form.

Filtration

Once all the fats and waxes have been separated, it is now time to begin the filtration process to completely do away with the solidified plant material. Making CBD isolate will become more feasible after filtration is performed after utilizing a high-quality vacuum pump to pull the desired ethanol and cannabinoid mixture through the filter and leaving the other solidified compounds behind.

Solvent Removal

The next step after filtration is to remove the ethanol from the mixture leftover from the winterization process. This is done by applying heat and vacuum pressure to evaporate the solvent without damaging the desired compounds. The equipment used for this is often a rotary evaporator, or a falling film evaporator. Both these pieces of equipment are capable of creating a thin film which aids in the evaporation process while heat is applied under vacuum pressure to remove higher quantities of solvent from the extract.

Distillation

Once these steps in the process of how to make CBD isolate are completed, the manufacturer can move on to the distillation process to more fully refine the extract.

This process follows the same basic principle as the step of solvent removal, but is done so with more mechanical intervention to remove the last traces of solvent and other unwanted components from the final extract. This is often best performed with a wiped film evaporator that uses a mechanical wiper blade to create a thin film from the increasingly viscous liquid onto a heated column under vacuum pressure. The remaining extract is highly pure, but it is not an isolate yet.

Isolation

From here, the extract can be converted into a CBD crystal isolate. This can be accomplished by isolating the CBD from the other components in the extract using processes like chromatography, or by crystallization via “crashing.” These methods fully isolate the CBD before it can be added to a stirring apparatus with applied heat until the product is dried out and a powdery CBD crystal substance is formed.

Chromatography is a useful technology that allows the separation of materials in a solution. In a CBD extract, chromatography can be used to separate the cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids and other hemp materials that have not been removed from winterization, filtration, solvent removal and distillation. By taking the extract and passing through a chromatography system, each individual cannabinoid can be separated and collected offering a purified form of CBD.

Crashing CBD involves adding a solvent like pentane to the extract and introducing the solution to heat and stirring. As this process is done, the CBD will solidify and turn into a powder or crystalline structure. Once the crystalized CBD has been precipitated, a cold pentane wash is performed to remove any impurities and the processor is left with a pure, solid CBD isolate product.