Kelowna-based cannabis and hemp extraction company announced new technology to make the job more efficient.
Vitalis Extractions announced an innovation called the Cosolvent Injection System, which injects a controlled amount of ethanol into the carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction process.
The process takes raw marijuana plants and exposes them to heat. In the case of the CO2 extraction process, the plants are ground up, placed in the extraction vessel. Carbon dioxide is then put under high temperature and pressure, forcing it into the vessel, dissolving some of the plant material to extract THC.
The ethanol injected into the vessel as CO2 means an improved amount of extracted THC.
CIS aims to increase extraction efficiency for hemp and cannabis processors, reduce runtime and operational costs and improve post-processing.
This will provide versatility in the extraction and a cost-effective solution should a manufacturer decide to expand their operations and grow product lines.
“Compared to a CO2 extraction using conventional winterization methods, or a cold ethanol extraction, the cosolvent process significantly reduces the volume of ethanol used for each gram of oil produced,” Vitalis CEO Joel Sherlock said.
The new technology launches after a year of research and real-world controlled testing on both cannabis and hemp. Vitalis chief technology officer and co-founder James Seabrook said the best part of the new CIS technology is that it can be added to a manufacturer’s existing system.
“(The Vitalis CIS has) a small footprint designed to fit into any facility layout and casing created to satisfy fire regulations,” he said.