What is meant by distillate?
A distillate is a very pure cannabis product that often has high concentrations of just one cannabinoid. For instance, some THC distillates state that they contain up to 99% THC.
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Usually, distillates are either solid slabs or turgid, golden liquids. In order to get a powerful and intense high, consumers frequently vaporize them in vaping devices.
Cannabis distillation method
Cannabinoids need to be processed and extracted before they may be distillated. According to this earlier article in Analytical Cannabis by Jon Thompson and Matt Anderson of extraktLAB, this preparation procedure usually entails the following steps:
drying cannabis or hemp till it contains 5–15% water.
removing the blossom from its stalks.
To facilitate more effective extraction, the flower is ground to a size of 2-300 microns.
use CO2 or ethanol to extract the substance.
use winterization to refine the cannabis product. The extract’s waxes and lipids are eliminated by this filtration procedure.
After this, the cannabis extract is prepared for decarboxylation and distillation, which eliminates the last of the solvents from the winterized solution. To regulate the temperature and pressure, a vacuum pump system and heating and cooling apparatus are needed.
THC and CBD distillation
Approximately 220 degrees Fahrenheit (104 degrees Celsius) should be reached by boiling the extract. The inactive forms of the cannabinoids, THCA and CBDA, will be transformed into their active forms, THC and CBD, with the use of heat. We refer to this process as decarboxylation.
Increase the temperature to 157 degrees Celsius, or 315 degrees Fahrenheit.
The solvent will evaporate first since it has a lower boiling point than the cannabis. Gather the resulting steam and place it in a different condenser. The solvent as well as the terpenes and flavonoids from the extract will be present in this condensed liquid.
Increase the temperature to between 320 and 356 degrees Fahrenheit (160 and 180 degrees Celsius), which is the range when THC and CBD boil.
Gather the resulting steam and place it in a different condenser. The refined cannabinoids will be present in this condensed liquid.
After that, the two liquids may be combined to create a distillate with a terpene taste.
The short-path distillation method
Thompson and Anderson of extrakLAB previously commented in Analytical Cannabis that “a common class that covers a range of distillation equipment is referred to as’short path’ but really isn’t due to the fact that the condenser is external to the evaporator.”
Better known as “fractional distillation,” this type of apparatus is usually made of glass and is employed for solvent extraction and distillation on a lab size because of its affordability, portability, and relative ease of use.
To lower the chance of harm, several extractors, like Thompson and Anderson, choose a technique that makes sure the evaporated cannabinoids seldom come into touch with the heat source. Thin film distillation is the name of this process.
Destillation via thin film
Incorporating thin film distillation into cannabis products is crucial, according to Thompson and Anderson.
As a result, a thin layer of oil will form on an evaporative surface. This reduces the possibility of harming the evaporated components—in this example, the cannabinoids—by preventing them from coming into prolonged contact with the heat source, especially when combined with vacuum pressure to lower boiling temperatures.
Many extractors choose to employ rotary evaporators in spite of these advantages.
Evaporation by rotation
According to Thompson and Anderson, “rotary evaporators, also known as roto-vaps, are probably the most widely used devices for solvent removal. They use a revolving round-bottomed flask to produce a thin film.”
The round-bottom flask lies in a heated bath, which serves as the heat source. Although discontinuous, this solvent removal is very effective on a small scale. This indicates that if there is a large amount of solvent to remove, the method is typically not scalable.
However, when the extract becomes more refined and its viscosity rises, rotary evaporation is no longer sufficient. Wiped filtering must be used for this reason.
Evaporation from wiped film
According to Thompson and Anderson, “mechanical wipers are used in wiped film distillation machines to apply a thin layer of oil across a heated evaporative surface, allowing the cannabinoids to evaporate and recollect on a chilled condenser that is only a short distance away.”
“At this stage, the finished product should have a pleasing golden hue and may contain up to 90% or more cannabinoids.”