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CO2... Better than BHO?
End products from Apeks Supercritical Systems
BHO (Butane Hash Oil) extractors are, as the name implies, butane extractors. The extractors use butane as a solvent and this has been a popular method of extraction for many years. Butane is a quick and relatively easy method of extracting cannabis oil from the plant. However, many districts are shying away from butane because of its volatility, and its past (and current) history of explosions.
How does BHO work?
Historically, processors used BHO systems to extract concentrates from cannabis, and they used a method called “open blasting”. This is when liquid butane is forced through raw plant material to extract oil. Once the butane hits the open air, it evaporates, leaving the extract behind. However, this was a very risky process because of the volatility of the gas as it evaporated, and many operations blew up, gaining the quick disapproval of fire departments. When the cannabis industry started, many operators were working out of garages or basements. These days, most processors have more professional facilities, using safer systems, like closed loop machines, but there are still garage and basement operators!
Why Butane?
Butane is quick, and it also allows the operator to create products like live resin. Live Resin is created using fresh plant material, that has a high water content. This is not ideal for extraction through a CO2 system because CO2 doesn’t like water in the plant material. BHO systems are typically cheaper than CO2 systems, but the peripherals and required safety equipment will likely outweigh any cost savings. Even a closed loop butane system needs expensive safety equipment and facilities, like an explosion-proof room to house the system in.
Why CO2?
CO2 produces a cleaner product than BHO. Some systems, like the Apeks Supercritical Duplex system, are optimized for low pressure, low temperature (subcritical) runs. This means that the extract can be used as is, without the need for further distillation. The extract won’t contain undesirable elements, like plant waxes and fats. Butane extractions will always leave some trace elements behind, even if it’s parts per million. In a medical marijuana product, even parts per million is not acceptable.
Terpene Extraction
BHO has a reputation for preserving terpenes (the compounds that contain the smell of cannabis, and also provide extremely beneficial health benefits). However, technology has developed significantly in CO2 extraction systems, which means that they can also extract terpenes, just as well as BHO systems can. The Apeks Supercritical systems can fractionate, which means the extraction can be done in increments – a short terpene run, then harvest; a longer subcritical run, then harvest; and finally a full supercritical run before harvesting the final extract. In this way, the operator extracts all the oil from the plant, and is able to get a full return on his/her investment.
Legalities
Los Angeles became the first city to propose an outright ban on BHO. Other areas in the country will likely follow suit as the industry matures and is regulated. Volatile extractions, no matter if they’re closed loop or not, are still volatile, and require a whole slew of safety features. CO2 is non-toxic, non-flammable, and the extracted oil is 100% free of residual solvents, all of which is why it’s a preferred solvent by many districts. Ancillary Expenses
In districts where BHO is allowed, the system cost is not the only factor to take into account. Butane operations have to operate under the tight controls of Class 1, Division 1, in explosion proof facilities. Operators will need to budget for required safety equipment, some of which can be pretty expensive! Simple things like light switches, fans, and ventilation systems need to be properly installed to avoid even tiny sparks. Butane extraction systems also need proper ventilation in the laboratory and even require the equivalent of a bomb shelter to house the extraction system in. By contrast, the most safety equipment a CO2 operator will need is a $15 CO2 monitor to detect leaks. And when you consider that CO2 is what fire fighters use to put fires out, inspectors are far more inclined to approve a facility using CO2!
Conclusion
The entire industry is slowly moving towards more regulation and control, with government oversight from everything to packaging and presentation, to extraction methods. A butane extraction system leaving parts per million in medical marijuana may not get the green light, but a CO2 system with no remaining extract will receive a warmer welcome. Consumer demand will also require a greener, healthier product – an organic brand will not pass certification if it contains any traces of solvent. A subcritical/terpene run from a CO2 system won’t pull any undesired plant material, therefore there’s no post processing required, and all that’s extracted is pure botanical oil, ready for a vape pen or an edible.
Technology has advanced since the giddy start up days in the cannabis industry and there is more oversight than ever before. CO2 is quickly catching up, if not surpassing, BHO in the extraction business, for good reason! Ultimately, an operator should look at what they want to produce, before deciding on the extraction equipment they want to use. The end product dictates the system they’ll use: BHO or CO2.
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Apeks Supercritical extraction systems use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a solvent to extract oil from botanical plant material because it yields safer, cleaner and purer oil.