R134a Extraction vs CO2 Extraction
In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of R134a Extraction Methods versus CO2 for cannabis extraction. If you’re ever in the San Diego metro area and would like an in person tour of our facilities, contact us — we’d love to show you the future of the industry.
PurBlend Science employs a Liquefied Gas Extraction (LGE) Technology platform that was initially created in 2004 to support food, pharmacy, and perfumery product manufacturing. Here at PurBlend Science, we refer to this technology as the PBX STANDARD (Pure Botanical Extraction).
Post-winterized full-spectrum oils
One method of cannabis extraction utilizes tetrafluoroethane (TFE) R134a as a solvent. 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. R134a is safe for human health — nontoxic, FDA approved and qualified as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). European Union approved the usage of the gas as solvent by EC Directive 2009/32.
The full terpene profile is collected without degradation of the plant’s components and is easily separated from the solvent. R134a does not extract solids, and in most cases, winterization is not required. Furthermore, the PBX STANDARD process does not transfer water-soluble compounds like chlorophyl or mold to the extract thus providing a very pure process for extracting plant oils.
CO2 Extraction
One of the most popular methods of cannabis extraction is via CO2 as a solvent. CO2 is a low density gas and needs to be pressurized to about 600 atmospheres (8817 psi) to become a solvent for essential oils. As a result of these extreme pressures and operating temperatures, scaling the CO2 system is an expensive process. CO2 extraction cannot extract moist material very well as the moisture and CO2 connection brings up undesired acidity levels in the extract.
R134a vs CO2
Unlike CO2, R134a is inert, odorless, non-toxic, non-flammable, non-corrosive and does not form an acid in the presence of moisture. Room temperature extraction means no thermal degradation or loss of volatile compounds during isolation. A low boiling point of R134a eliminates the need for complex and slow solvent recovery.
CO2 extraction requires special training and expensive equipment. In contrast, R134a is easy to operate and operates with extremely high consistency on the output oil. CO2 requires high CAPEX and an army of technicians. R134a has very low cost of maintenance and workforce.
