Process for producing refined oils from botanical plant matter using a supercritical fluid
AssigneeThar Process, Inc.
InventorsLalit Chordia, Sasikumar Ramesh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved process for producing refined oils free of contaminating waxes, resins, and lipids from botanical plant matter using an improved in-line winterization process is disclosed. The biomass is fed into an extraction vessel where the oils are extracted using a solvent, followed by a two-stage separation. Both the temperature and pressure of the solvent going into the separators are controlled for effective separation. Additional solvent is added to enhance the separation efficiency between the refined oil and the undesired fraction containing the contaminants. This process provides an alternative to current wax mitigation techniques, such as alcohol based solvent winterization.
Claims18
A process for producing a refined oil product from a biomass, the process comprising:
- extracting a biomass using a high-pressure solvent stream to provide a first oil extract dissolved in solvent;
- mixing the first oil extract dissolved in solvent with a medium-pressure solvent stream to provide a diluted oil extract;
- and
- delivering the diluted oil extract to a medium-pressure separator column to separate contaminants from the diluted oil extract and provide a dilute refined oil.
A process for producing a refined oil product from a biomass, the process comprising:
- extracting a biomass using a CO2 stream to provide a first oil extract dissolved in CO2, wherein the extracting is at an extraction temperature of 225 K to 450 K and an extraction pressure of 37 bar to 750 bar;
- mixing the first oil extract dissolved in CO2 with a medium pressure CO2 stream to provide a diluted oil extract, wherein the medium pressure CO2 stream is provided at a temperature of 225 K to 380 K and a pressure of pressure of 35 bar to 225 bar;
- and
- delivering the diluted oil extract to a medium pressure separator column to separate contaminants from the diluted oil extract and provide a dilute refined oil, wherein the medium pressure separator column is maintained at a separation temperature of 225 K to 380 K and a separation pressure of 35 to 225 bar,
- wherein the process uses only CO2 as solvent and does not include any other solvents.
A process for producing a refined oil product from a Cannabis plant material, the process comprising:
- extracting the Cannabis plant material using a high-pressure CO2 stream to provide a first oil extract dissolved in CO2, wherein the extraction is at an extraction temperature of 225 K to 450 K and an extraction pressure of 37 bar to 750 bar;
- mixing the first oil extract dissolved in CO2 with a medium-pressure CO2 stream to provide a diluted oil extract, wherein the medium-pressure CO2 stream is provided at a temperature of 225 K to 380 K and a pressure of 35 bar to 225 bar in a volume of at least 10% v/v to a total volume of the first oil extract dissolved in CO2;
- delivering the diluted oil extract to a medium-pressure separator column to separate contaminants from the diluted oil extract and provide a dilute refined oil;
- and
- delivering the dilute refined oil to a low-pressure separator column to evaporate the CO2 and provide a refined oil product,
- wherein the refined oil product is enriched for cannabidiols, and substantially free of waxes, lipids, oleoresins, fatty acids, and combinations thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.