An apparatus and method of high pressure treatment of bulk material by extraction and/or impregnation may involve treating bulk material in an internal volume of a pressure vessel apparatus at a high pressure level in a range from 40 to 1000 bar under isolation from the environment. The high pressure treatment may be performed charge-wise in a closed system in the pressure vessel apparatus in that the bulk material is supplied charge-wise to the internal volume with the pressure vessel apparatus closed and is positioned in at least one treatment plane. Upon completion of the high pressure treatment, the bulk material is discharged charge-wise from the internal volume with the pressure vessel apparatus closed. This also gives advantages in terms of handling, especially also with regard to material flow, and with regard to operational reliability.

An infusion extractor is provided including a plunger to be inserted into an infusing container containing the infusion mixture that has vertical inner walls oriented parallel to a vertical axis of the container. The plunger includes a first surface with a seal situated at an edge of the surface. The seal is adapted for sealing against the inner walls of the infusing container as the plunger moves within the container, to define a first chamber containing the mixture of infusible material and extract. The plunger also includes a second surface extending from the first surface and defining a second chamber; the second surface includes extract flow openings which permit flow of extract from the first chamber into the second chamber. At least a portion of the extract flow openings are situated at a depth either above or below the first surface along the vertical axis.

A method and apparatus for extracting compounds from raw materials with an extraction column is provided. The control and manipulation of pressure exerted and contained within the extraction vessel or column may be vital in obtaining a certain flavor profile or intensity of the effluent extracted from the raw materials. As such, the method may include directing a flow of pressurized solvent into a base of the extraction column and utilizing the flow of pressurized solvent to create a pressure gradient applied to the raw materials. The method may further include compressing the raw materials with hydraulic compression. As the raw materials become further compressed, frictional heating may result allowing most, if not all, of the volatile aromatic heat sensitive compounds and constituencies to be extracted depending on the pressure strength applied to the raw materials. As such, manipulating the pressure gradients for each extraction process allows for distinct and specific flavor profiles to be extracted from the raw materials.

A process for trichome separation from plant matter deploys water slurry agitation and/or dry sieving to produce a mixture of solid trichomes and similar sized plant debris. The plant debris in each separate fraction is then removed by gravity filtration in a dense inert liquid, which is preferably a salt or brine solution. The desirable trichomes or trichome glands float on the dense liquid, while the undesirable vegetative matter sinks to the bottom of the brine containing vessel. The trichomes are readily removed and washed before further processing.

A process for fractionating a plant material to provide isolated extractives, the process includes pretreating the plant material to provide a fluidized plant material, subjecting the pretreated fluidized plant material to high frequency pulses and shear forces without denaturing bioactive aspects of one or more components of the plant material to provide a first liquid fraction having extractives to be isolated and a first fractionated plant material, separating the first liquid fraction having extractives from the first fractionated plant material, and isolating extractives from the first liquid fraction.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a matrix of raw materials, also referred to as a poly-grain grind matrix. In some embodiments, the matrix of raw materials may form an interlocking network of varied particle grind sizes that allows the particles to nest and interlock with one another when packed into an extraction vessel, so that most, but not all of the interstitial spacing within the matrix of raw materials is closed. Additionally, the varied particle sizes may be selected by pre-determined weight ranges and size classifications so that the particle grind sizes achieve the desired consistency uniformity. This may allow the network of particles to act as its own best filtering agent during the extraction process. Moreover, the nesting and interlocking network of the particles within the matrix of raw materials may allow the particles to be effectively packed within the extraction column, thus allowing for an efficient and high quality extraction to be performed consistently each and every time.

The present invention provides a method for extracting Tremella polysaccharides by using buffer solution, which comprises the following steps: leaching Tremella powder in a buffer solution with heating to obtain the leachate; subjecting the said leachate to solid-liquid separation and obtaining the liquid component which contains Tremella polysaccharides; subjecting the said liquid component to alcohol precipitation, and the precipitate obtained is Tremella polysaccharides. According to the method of the invention, various buffer solutions can achieve the extraction rates of Tremella polysaccharides up to 33:12%, which is 3 to 4 times of that of the traditional water extraction method, and greatly improve the extraction yields of Tremella polysaccharides.

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for counter-current solids leaching. A multi-stage countercurrent leaching chamber can include a top and bottom end, a barren liquor input, two or more regions for countercurrent mixing, and a barren solids output. The input can be configured to receive barren liquor. The two or more regions for countercurrent mixing and separation can be configured to mix and separate liquid and solid phases. The barren solids output can be configured to collect and discharge barren solids from the bottom end of the multi-stage countercurrent leaching chamber. A fluidized bed chamber and clarifier chamber can also be included, where the fluidized bed receives a fluidizable slurry of pregnant solids and the clarifier chamber aids in separating liquids from solids passing from a top of the fluidized bed chamber to the top end of the multi-stage countercurrent leaching chamber.

An apparatus and method are provided for extraction compounds from raw materials. The control and manipulation of heat formed and contained within the extraction vessel or column may be vital in obtaining a certain flavor profile or intensity of the effluent extracted from the raw materials. As such, the solvent entering the apparatus to extract the raw materials may be heated to a specified temperature range with the aid of energy already formed within the extraction column. The apparatus to extract the raw materials may include a body comprising a pressure vessel capable of withstanding high temperatures and pressures. Additionally, a flow of pressurized solvent may enter the base of the extraction column, where the flow of pressurized solvent has a select temperature such that the temperature may be manipulated to obtain a distinct flavor profile of the effluent extracted from the raw materials.

Embodiments of an infusion extractor are provided including a plunger to be inserted into an infusing container containing the infusion mixture that can have vertical inner walls oriented parallel to a vertical axis of the container. In some implementations, the plunger includes a first surface with a seal situated at an edge of the surface. The seal is adapted for sealing against the inner walls of the infusing container as the plunger moves within the container. The plunger also includes a second surface extending from the first surface and defining a second chamber. At least a portion of the extract flow openings are situated at a depth either above or below the first surface along the vertical axis.