CO2 Extraction and MMCs - question on how things work

You are the only person I know of using DIY CO2 tech. Are you getting into the supercritical range, ie 100*F & ~1000psi? I've read that CO2 works well for extraction at subcritical temp/press also. There are a number of BHO guys around here. Do you find the terp profile similar to BHO?

Your friend does nice welding work. I figured he was a code welder.

That vessel is rated to 1500 psi (it could go higher with different gaskets), so I can run in super-critical or sub-critical ranges. I've found that colder and more liquid makes a better product, but I am still testing to see what the optimum method is for recovery. I have clipboards full of notes about pressures, temps, retention times etc. lol. Its kind of exciting to know that CO2 can be done at home. Its not the most cost effective method but its a lot of fun! I haven't had any of my product tested by a lab yet. The oil made from Golden Goat trim was a very deep intense high that was tons of fun. It had more of a piney like flavor to it. Would you want to compare the terp profile for yourself ?

Gutray said:

That vessel is rated to 1500 psi (it could go higher with different gaskets), so I can run in super-critical or sub-critical ranges. I've found that colder and more liquid makes a better product, but I am still testing to see what the optimum method is for recovery. I have clipboards full of notes about pressures, temps, retention times etc. lol. Its kind of exciting to know that CO2 can be done at home. Its not the most cost effective method but its a lot of fun! I haven't had any of my product tested by a lab yet. The oil made from Golden Goat trim was a very deep intense high that was tons of fun. It had more of a piney like flavor to it. Would you want to compare the terp profile for yourself ?

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Truly, not being a dabber I wouldn't know, but thanks for the offer. I just know that I have seen a few comments that some CO2 oil comes out with less flavor than bho. The CO2 oil that I have gotten preloaded in a vape tank has tasted not so great, but I remember having some CO2 flake from the Huxley brothers last year that tasted nice.

That's cool that the lower temps work better. I've wondered if anyone has tried a cryogenic fluid (maybe N or He or even O2) to do an extraction. Just like gases get funky properties at their supercritical points, they also behave differently at low temps..... And liquid N & O2 is readily available in dewar (big ass) bottles, not sure about CO2... granted if you wanted to reclaim it, you would need the cryo pumps, but if you just vented to atmosphere.... that would be like blasting with butane, only you don't risk blowing yo self up. I've also always thought that a big reason butane works so well is the low temps you get in the chamber. But I don't know shit really, just thinking out loud really.

That looks exactly how I seen it at element420

Bubba,

I can run O2, N2, or any other compressed gas / liquid in this system, even butane from the right container. I have seen CO2 in the 300lb and 600lb dewars at grow houses. The cost of the gas is going to prove expensive over time if I don't convert it to recirculating. Also I am only using food / medical grade gas right now, they do have SCFE gas but its over $400 to fill a bottle. Do you know much about compressors / pumps for CO2? Those seem to be a black hole on the internet where its impossible to find the details that I need to design the sealed loop.

milehigh, do you have pictures of the one at element420? I would love to see a commercial system up close you are so lucky you got to! Have you tried their CO2 oil before? How did you like it compared to BHO?

No I don't but it's exactly like the one from Eden labs, yea but not in dabs or anything. I feel like with bho they just love that butane flavor lol stuff gets me sick.

Check it out on the link I put a few replies back it kinda shows the extractor.

Gutray said:

Bubba,

I can run O2, N2, or any other compressed gas / liquid in this system, even butane from the right container. I have seen CO2 in the 300lb and 600lb dewars at grow houses. The cost of the gas is going to prove expensive over time if I don't convert it to recirculating. Also I am only using food / medical grade gas right now, they do have SCFE gas but its over $400 to fill a bottle. Do you know much about compressors / pumps for CO2? Those seem to be a black hole on the internet where its impossible to find the details that I need to design the sealed loop.

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Very nice. Have you tried the nitrogen? It would be much easier to get to supercritical temp/pressure as it's above it's critical temp at room temperature.

Sorry, I don't know jack about co2 pumps..... but you should maybe ask your local way to grow manager about that.... don't they refill co2 bottles there? Must have pumps.... just a thought.

Don't they use the vacuum reclamation pump that hvac guys use to reclaim refrigerant?

SnapsProvolone said:

Don't they use the vacuum reclamation pump that hvac guys use to reclaim refrigerant?

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Good question, I don't know. Sounds like it would work though, freon should be similar enough and those pumps are relatively cheap. Nice call man.

Except you would need a flash tank that would let you reduce pressure down to what the pump will handle.... in other words hitting one of those hvac pumps with 1000psi CO2 @ 100*F = not a good idea probably.

I saw one on the fancy closed loop CO2 extraction setup they were marketing at the cup in Denver on 4/20/13.

These guys were the ones I saw at the cup. They have a recirculating model
http://edenlabs.com/processes/co2-extraction

Yes, Eden labs stuff is badass

If I had half a brain, I would quit working for the man and buy something like this from those guys and start a "have weed will extract" business. But I figure at some point the business gets pig piled by large corps which have capital budgets for buying their own and I'd be on da bread line.

$175K for their hi-flo 5,000 psi system.... Just dayum

Already exists. Most mmc's send their stuff out to places like mountain high, huxleys or others. Most take a 50% cut for doing it. They use that in their medibles that are distributed via dispensaries.

Bubbagineer said:

Very nice. Have you tried the nitrogen? It would be much easier to get to supercritical temp/pressure as it's above it's critical temp at room temperature.

Sorry, I don't know jack about co2 pumps..... but you should maybe ask your local way to grow manager about that.... don't they refill co2 bottles there? Must have pumps.... just a thought.

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I haven't tried nitrogen yet. CO2 is fairly easy to get to supercritical temps and pressures with a proper chamber. A lot of the refill stations for 20lb CO2 tanks (paintball stations etc.) that I have seen use smaller transfer pumps that cant increase the pressures to what I have designed for, nor can they provide the flow requirements for a recirculating system.

Bubbagineer said:

Except you would need a flash tank that would let you reduce pressure down to what the pump will handle.... in other words hitting one of those hvac pumps with 1000psi CO2 @ 100*F = not a good idea probably.

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I am currently expanding the CO2 in a second chamber to drop the oil out of solution. I would think this coupled with a condenser before the pump would prevent any state changes inside of the pump.

I don't think mobile would work legally unless you went to only MIPS licensing shops because you would not be operating legally anywhere else and you would have to be a contract employee. You would also have to operate inside the premises, now is it easier to do this for the shop or if your a shop that wants CO2 send your trim to a MIPS warehouse and receive oil back? There is just not as big a demand for CO2 I assume because of the price, I love it though. It might be better to wait until june when you can get your own rec license for wholesale and send your extract all over the state. Just my 2 cents