System and method for extracting volatile molecules from plant raw materials

System for extraction of volatile molecules from a plant raw material such as flowers, including:

• at least one enclosure including a plurality of receptacles configured to receive a plant raw material, the enclosure being hermetically sealed against entry of gases and including an inlet and an outlet disposed at two ends of the enclosure, the enclosure being configured to generate a circulation of gas in the enclosure by each receptacle, with a closely similar or equal gas flow by each receptacle,
• a compression device configured to adjust the pressure of the air or of a gas circulating from the enclosure to a capture system at a relative pressure greater than or equal to 2 bar, the capture system including:
• a first capture device at least partly filled with a first solvent so as to enable an exchange between the first solvent and the compressed gas entrained by the compression device, and
• a second capture device comprising an inlet connected to a pipe enabling air evacuated from the first capture device to be drawn into the second capture device, the second capture device being at least partially filled with a second solvent so as to enable an exchange between the second solvent and the compressed gas that has passed through the first capture device.

Method of extracting volatile molecules from a plant raw material such as flowers, comprising the following steps:

• distributing a plurality of portions of a plant material in an enclosure fed with a gas such as air and configured to generate a circulation of said gas through each portion of plant material with a close or equal gas flowrate by each portion,
• extracting the gas having circulated over all the plant material portions and compressing it to a relative pressure greater than or equal to 2 bar,
• capturing the compressed gas in a first organic solvent having a solubility in water less than or equal to 20 wt % and separating by condensation the steam contained in the gas to obtain an depleted gas, a first organic phase and a first aqueous phase,
• capturing the depleted gas in a second organic solvent having a solubility in water less than or equal to 20 wt %, preferably identical to the first organic solvent, and separating by condensation the steam contained in the gas to obtain a second organic phase, a second aqueous phase and a gas that is further depleted that is optionally recycled in step (a),
• combining the two organic phases and optionally the organic compound present in the two aqueous phases to obtain a plant extract.