Cannabis Terpene Extraction via Multi-Solvent Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for extracting and isolating cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis plant material often result in the destruction or evaporation of terpenes due to their low boiling points and the use of solvents in extraction processes, leading to suboptimal health benefits and variable terpene concentrations among strains.
Innovation Solution
A multi-step method involving steam distillation, CO2 extraction, Butane extraction, Ethanol extraction, and maceration in warm coconut oil, followed by fractional distillation, to recover a broad spectrum of terpenes and aromatic isolates, allowing for recombination to achieve a balanced mixture similar to natural cannabis compounds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional extraction methods using solvents and heating are employed, then extraction efficiency is improved, but terpenes are destroyed or evaporated due to their low boiling points
Solution Approach 1:
The extraction process is divided into multiple sequential steps using different solvents (hexane, ethanol, water) and different temperature conditions. Each extraction step targets specific compounds, allowing terpenes to be preserved in later cold extraction steps after initial non-polar compounds are removed in hot extraction steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent systematically changes extraction parameters including solvent type, temperature, and extraction sequence. By transitioning from hot non-polar extraction to cold polar extraction, the method optimizes for both extraction efficiency and terpene preservation through parameter optimization.
2Manufacturing precision
If high temperature distillation is used to isolate compounds, then separation purity is improved, but terpenes are lost due to evaporation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of solvents (evaporation of hexane and ethanol) to achieve separation without requiring high-temperature distillation of the final product. The terpenes remain in the aqueous phase or are captured in cold extracts, avoiding thermal degradation while still achieving purification through solvent phase changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical distillation with a multi-step solvent extraction system that uses solubility differences and phase separations. This substitution allows for purification based on chemical properties rather than thermal properties, preserving heat-sensitive terpene compounds.
3Quantity of substance
If isolated cannabinoid extraction is performed, then cannabinoid concentration is improved, but the entourage effect is reduced due to absence of terpenes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple extraction fractions (hexane extract, ethanol extract, and water-soluble extracts) into a single comprehensive formulation. This combining approach ensures that both cannabinoids and terpenes are preserved together in the final product, maintaining the natural entourage effect while achieving high cannabinoid concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The final extraction product is a composite mixture containing multiple compound classes (cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids) extracted through different solvent systems. This composite approach preserves the complex chemical profile of the original plant material, ensuring both concentration and medicinal efficacy through the entourage effect.
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 effectively preserves and isolates a wide range of terpenes and aromatic compounds, achieving a more complex flavor profile and enhanced medicinal efficacy by maintaining the natural balance of cannabis compounds, unlike conventional extraction methods.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the cannabis terpene material with a heated gas at a temperature of 105° C. to 200° C., and for a time which is sufficient to volatilize one or more terpene to form a vapor but does not cause pyrolysis of the cannabis plant materials and condensing the vapor to form a terpene rich yield
Implementation Method 2
CO2 extraction
Implementation Method 3
Butane extraction
Implementation Method 4
Ethanol extraction
Implementation Method 5
maceration in warm coconut oil
Implementation Method 6
followed by fractional distillation
Data Source
AI summary
A method for extracting and isolating terpenes and aromatic compounds from Cannabis plant material by the steps of grinding the cannabis plant material to obtain a ground cannabis, performing a CO2 supercritical extraction upon a first portion of the ground cannabis, wherein said supercritical extraction is performed at temperature below freezing, between −30 to 0 centigrade, for a period of 3 to 5 hours, at between 1000-1300 psi, performing a steam distillation upon a second portion of the ground cannabis, performing a butane extraction upon a third portion of the ground cannabis, wherein the butane extraction is performed at a temperature between −30 to 0 centigrade, performing an alcohol extraction upon a fourth portion of the ground cannabis, wherein the alcohol extraction is performed at a temperature between −30 to 0 centigrade, performing a maceration upon a fifth portion of the ground cannabis, wherein the maceration is performed with coconut oil at a temperature of between 40-70 centigrade, combining at least a portion of each of the resultant extracts from the CO2 supercritical extraction step, the steam distillation step, the butane extraction step, the alcohol extraction step and the maceration step to create a combined extract, and then fractionally distilling the combined extract to separate terpenes and other aromatic compounds from the combined extract.