Cannabinoid Extraction Using Alkaline Solvent System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods of cannabinoid extraction from cannabis plants require a drying step, which is slow, inefficient, expensive, and energy-intensive, and can introduce contaminants such as mold and bacteria, necessitating a faster, cost-effective, and contaminant-free process.
Innovation Solution
The use of an alkaline solvent system to solubilize cannabinoids directly from freshly harvested cannabis plants, eliminating the need for a drying step, and involving a process that includes plant extraction, acidification, and refinement steps to isolate cannabinoids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional drying step is used to remove water from cannabis plants before extraction, then water contamination of organic solvents is prevented, but the process becomes slow, energy-intensive, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the problematic drying step from the traditional extraction process. By eliminating this intermediate step entirely and using alternative extraction methods that work with fresh plant material, the process achieves both speed improvement and contamination prevention without requiring the slow, energy-intensive drying procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of drying the plant material first and then extracting cannabinoids, the patent inverts the sequence by performing extraction on fresh, undried material. This reversal allows the extraction process itself to handle the moisture issue, using solvent systems that can effectively extract cannabinoids from wet plant material without requiring prior water removal.
2Reliability
If traditional drying step is used to prepare cannabis plants for extraction, then organic solvents are protected from water contamination, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the energy-intensive drying operation from the process flow. By extracting cannabinoids directly from fresh plant material using alternative solvent systems, the method eliminates the need for thermal energy input required for drying, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining solvent effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the extraction system by using solvent systems and conditions that are effective for extracting cannabinoids from fresh, undried plant material. This parameter change allows the process to bypass the drying step entirely, reducing energy consumption while maintaining extraction efficiency and solvent purity.
3Productivity
If drying step is eliminated and extraction is performed on fresh cannabis plants, then processing time is reduced and volatile compounds are preserved, but water contamination of solvents becomes a risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces alternative solvent systems that act as intermediaries between the fresh plant material and the final extract. These solvent systems are specifically chosen or modified to be effective at extracting cannabinoids from wet plant material without being adversely affected by the water present, thereby mediating the interaction between fresh material and extraction solvent.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the parameters of the extraction system by using solvent systems with specific properties that allow effective extraction from fresh plant material. These parameter changes include using solvents or solvent mixtures that maintain effectiveness in the presence of water, enabling rapid processing while preventing contamination issues.
4Ease of manufacture
If drying step is used in traditional extraction method, then cannabinoid extraction can proceed, but mold and bacteria contamination is introduced during warehousing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs extraction as a preliminary action on fresh plant material before it has the opportunity to develop mold or bacterial contamination. By eliminating the warehousing and storage period required for drying, the process extracts cannabinoids directly from fresh material, preventing biological contamination from occurring in the first place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the drying and warehousing steps from the process, thereby eliminating the opportunity for mold and bacteria to contaminate the plant material during storage. By extracting cannabinoids directly from fresh material through alternative methods, the process prevents biological contamination while maintaining extraction feasibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables rapid, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly extraction of cannabinoids, preserving volatile compounds and allowing for on-site processing of cannabis plants, reducing contamination risks and energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
the alkaline solvent causes cannabinoid acids to ionize, thus making them soluble in water
Implementation Method 2
the use of an alkaline solvent system to solubilize cannabinoids directly from freshly harvested cannabis plants
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are methods and systems that may be used to extract and refine cannabinoids and other natural substances from cannabis plants. The system may mix cannabis plant material with an alkaline water to produce a miscella of solubilized cannabinoids. The system may separate the miscella from the cannabis plant material. The system may acidify the miscella to precipitate the cannabinoids. The system separates the precipitated cannabinoids from the acidic solution. The system extracts on the precipitate to produce raffinate. The raffinate may then be purified and/or an isolated be produced.