Alcohol solvent recovery and plant oil decarboxylation apparatus and method

An apparatus for recovering an alcohol solvent from a mixture of the solvent and plant oil and decarboxylation of the plant oil, the apparatus comprising;

• at least one tank configured to receive a liquid mixture of an alcohol solvent and plant oil;
• at least one membrane separator configured to separate at least some of the solvent from the liquid mixture when flowing through the at least one membrane separator to provide a concentrated mixture with less solvent therein compared to the liquid mixture, wherein the at least one membrane separator further comprises a coiled or spiral wound membrane received in a super-atmospheric pressure resistant cylindrical housing, the cylindrical housing being resistant to a super-atmospheric pressure of at least 500 psig;
• a pump configured to circulate the liquid mixture through the at least one membrane separator and the at least one tank a plurality of times, wherein the pump is configured to supply the liquid mixture to the at least one membrane separator at a pressure of at least 500 psig;
• a reactor configured to heat the concentrated mixture to a temperature high enough to vaporize substantially all of the solvent in the concentrated mixture and to a temperature high enough to decarboxylate the plant oil;
• a heat exchanger configured to decrease the temperature of the vaporized solvent sufficiently to condense it to be a liquid at atmospheric pressure and temperature;
• and
• an actuated outlet valve associated with the at least one tank, through which the liquid mixture is supplied from the at least one tank through the actuated outlet valve to the pump and the liquid mixture is returned to and through the at least one tank to an inlet of the pump.