With the continuous growth of the cannabis industry, we see new methods that sustainably produce high-quality products. Though consumers may think the extraction process is simple, there is a moderate amount of technology behind the contents of your dab pen. Generally, high quality and sustainable cannabis concentrates require a considerable capital investment to ensure the lab has the necessary means for extraction. Therefore, many dispensaries outsource for concentrates rather than making their own.
Background
Within this period of cannabis legalization, much has changed. Modernization of the industry has led products to become higher quality while focusing on the importance of sustainability. All aspects of the industry have adapted to modernization within the last eight years, especially the concentrate market. Hashish (which has been noted to have been around since the 18th century) has always been known as the initial concentrated cannabis form.
Still, the early 2000s brought the first butane cannabis extraction. When this method was first rolled out, it was considered highly dangerous and brought on many injuries, but the technique has found new ways to bring on a safer creation process with a higher quality product over the years. It is undeniable that butane extraction has opened the door for plenty of new concentrate innovations that have been reshaping the cannabis landscape.
How They’re Made
The process for concentrates begins with the product in an isolated sanitation room to remove any possible contaminants attached to the flower. Then the newly sanitized products go through a freezing process. Here, the flower is encased in sub-zero temperatures to prevent terpenes’ denaturing, which are the base for concentrates, tinctures, and distillates.
Once this process is completed, the materials are transferred back to a sanitary chamber to prepare the product for extraction. Most concentrates either go through an extraction process using a solvent or a non-solvent. With a solvent extraction, you generally will use either butane or carbon dioxide extractions. However, Solventless is generally used just with heat and pressure. Solventless concentrates can be considered a more natural process but will require more labor with a significant amount of effort.
Ethanol Extraction: The Way to a Cleaner Concentrate
Generally, when you are buying THC concentrates, you are typically using products that are made through the solvent process. Although the two extraction methods from above are commonly used, a new method arguably provides an even cleaner concentrate. Ethanol extraction is a unique process that is gaining popularity within the industry.
Using this extraction system, you cannot only attain high-quality concentrates, but you can also create 100% pure distillates and tinctures all through the same extraction process. This process will also lead to 100% terpenes and cannabinoids without any other contaminants. The ethanol extraction method is a more labor-intensive job since you need to process different filtration methods, but its result is excellent for THC extracts and tinctures. It also eliminates all contaminants during the extraction process and be reused to eliminate unnecessary waste.
Quality Control
Quality is the primary reason to use an ethanol-based extraction system when creating concentrates, which creates liquidized distillate, rather than the common crystal shatter most consumers are used to. Because of the liquid form, there are fewer ways to ingest the product. Since these products are generally more challenging for consumers to store and maintain, they are customized in cartridges and disposable pens to eliminate this hassle.
Sustainability is the Key
Cannabis is continuing to modernize through sustainability practices. Consumers, particularly the younger generations, want products that reflect sustainability and are created with environmentally-friendly methods. Even though ethanol is still a chemical compound, it is safe for ingestion as labeled by the FDA and is a process that does not discharge any contaminants during extraction. The final product of the extraction contains no residual solvents aside from the cannabis oil.
Ethanol extraction is a new, sustainable way of attaining high-quality concentrate. As the cannabis industry continues to grow, it will hopefully see a continued desire to utilize sustainable extraction.