The cannabis industry is rapidly growing, and the demand for cannabis products is high. This has caused the need for extraction services to grow exponentially.
Unfortunately, some of these extractors use dangerous chemicals or toxic solvents in their processes. Ethanol is a safe, non-toxic solvent that can be used in mmj extraction.
In recent years ethanol has been used as a substitute for toxic solvents in preparing cannabis oils and concentrates.
But why do you think many manufacturers prefer alcohol over other solvents? Here we discuss why ethanol is the preferred solvent of cannabis extractors.
Ethanol Extraction is Safe
Ethanol is a widely available and relatively safe solvent that you can use to extract cannabis compounds from the plant.
Ethanol’s “solubility” refers to how well it mixes with water, and its “partition coefficient” refers to how well it mixes with oils.
Ethanol has a high solubility in water and low solubility in oil so it will dissolve more of the oil than other solvents like butane or hexane.
Ethanol Extraction Produces High-Quality Results
There are a wide range of cannabinoid extraction methods available, and the ideal method may vary based on the particular cannabinoid one wishes to extract. Many CBD manufacturers will produce cannabidiol (CBD) content by growing the plant using feminized cannabis seeds from prominent genetic experts such as Royal Queen Seeds, dissolving the flowers in a solvent such as hemp or vegetable oil, then processing the resulting extract into a product like tinctures, vape cartridges, and so on.
One popular method of extraction that is favored by many people is a combination of carbon dioxide and ethanol.
This extraction method has an excellent reputation because it produces high-quality oil that is rich in cannabinoids.
Ethanol is Both Polar and Nonpolar
Ethanol is a polar solvent, which can dissolve certain polar compounds. These compounds have both a charged and uncharged portion or combinations with multiple bonds between atoms.
Ethanol is also a nonpolar solvent, which can dissolve certain nonpolar compounds.
Bottom Line
While very few oil extracting companies currently use ethanol as a solvent, many cannabis extraction companies have recognized how useful it can be to their business.
As mentioned earlier, ethanol has become an attractive choice for cannabis extraction due to its ability to dissolve unwanted molecules in other liquids.
In addition, ethanol is significantly less dangerous than other solvents, so that safety measures can be taken more readily.
And perhaps most appealing of all, ethanol doesn’t leave behind any harmful residues that would be misidentified as quality assurance problems when tested.
For instance, it evaporates completely, and it’s easy to dispose of since it also dissolves in water. That makes it ideal for extractions where you want nothing left behind: cannabis, fruit juices, medical products and more.