System for producing solvent free full spectrum cannibis extract

Abstract

A system for preparing a medicinal substance containing full spectrum of therapeutically desirable substances in naturally occurring proportions found in hemp plants, carried out by grinding a whole hemp plant to produce fine particles material, and exposing the fine particles material to an elevated pressure (11 PSI-15 PSI) and a reaction temperature maintained in a range of 230 F-250 F which is below a boiling point of the phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids, thus providing enhanced conditions for solvent-free extraction of the therapeutically desirable substances and diffusing the extracted substances into the carrier oil at an enhanced rate. Thus producing an infused oil final product containing a full spectrum phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids in naturally occurring proportions.

Claims

1. A system for preparing a full spectrum cannabis extract containing phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids, comprising: an entrance station equipped with a grinding mechanism for processing hemp plant material to produce hemp plant fine particles material, at least one hermetically sealable extraction vessel operatively coupled to said entrance station to receive therefrom said hemp plant fine particles material, a carrier oil contained in said at least one extraction vessel, a hermetically sealable pressure reaction chamber, said at least one extraction vessel being installed in said pressure reaction chamber, an environmental equilibrium mechanism established between interiors of said at least one extraction vessel and said pressure reaction chamber, a pressure source operatively coupled to said pressure reaction chamber operating to establish an elevated pressure ranging from about 11 PSI to 15 PSI in said hermetically sealed pressure reaction chamber, a heater operatively coupled to said pressure reaction chamber for creating and maintaining a reaction temperature in said hermetically sealed pressure reaction chamber A at a level above 230 F and below a boiling point of each of said phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids and below a smoke point of said carrier oil, wherein by exposing said hemp plant fine particles material and said carrier oil in said at least one extraction vessel to said elevated pressure and said reaction temperature established in said sealed pressure reaction chamber, enhanced reaction conditions are established in said at least a first extraction vessel for solvent-free extraction of said phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids from said hemp plant fine particles material and for diffusing of the extracted phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids into said carrier oil at an enhanced rate, thus producing an infused oil final product containing full spectrum phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids in naturally occurring proportions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said reaction temperature ranges between 230 F and 250 F.

3. The system of claim 1, further including a cooling unit operatively coupled to said pressure reaction chamber for cooling said pressure reaction chamber prior to unloading the infused oil final product from said pressure reaction chamber.

4. The system of claim 1, including a storage station operatively coupled to said pressure reaction chamber, wherein said at least one extraction vessel containing the infused oil final product and hermetically sealed is unloaded from said pressure reaction chamber and stored at said storage station for a predetermined storage duration.

5. The system of claim 4, including a final processing station operatively coupled to said storage station for compressing the unloaded infused oil final product, and fine filtering the compressed infused oil final product.

6. The system of claim 1, including a pre-extraction decarboxylating oven operatively coupled between said entrance station and said pressure reaction chamber for processing the hemp plant fine particles material in said pre-extraction decarboxylating oven at a temperature ranging from 200 F to 260 F for a time period of about one hour.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said environmental equilibrium mechanism includes a lid attached to said at least one extraction vessel, and a valve installed in said lid, said valve establishing an environmental equilibrium between the interior of said pressure reaction chamber and the interior portion of said at least one extraction vessel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said hemp plant material is selected from the group of: a whole hemp plant, a freshly harvested hemp plant, or a dried hemp plant.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 including a second extraction vessel within said pressure reaction chamber in fluid communication with said first extraction vessel.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 wherein said first and second extraction vessel are joined each to the other by a connecting pipe to provide pressure and temperature equilibrium between said first and second extraction vessels.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein said first and second extraction vessels form a manifold arrangement to provide a collective output from said reaction chamber.

12. The system as recited in claim 1 including at least one exit pipe in fluid communication with said at least one extraction vessel for removal of contents from said at least one extraction vessel for storage of said infused oil final product.

13. The system as recited in claim 1 including a post-decarboxylation oven fluidly in communication with said at least one extraction vessel for post-extraction of said infused oil final product.

14. The system as recited in claim 1 including at least a pair of extraction vessels within said pressure reaction chamber, each of said extraction vessels in fluid communication with the other.

15. The system as recited in claim 14 including a fluid conduit joining each of said extraction vessels to the other for permitting said fluid communication between said extraction vessels.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The FIGURE is a flow chart representative of the subject solvent-free process for extraction and concentration of full spectrum CBD and other cannabinoids in a carrier oil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

(2) Referring to the FIGURE, the subject system 10 is developed for supporting the method for preparing a full spectrum cannabis/hemp medicinal compound containing phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids in naturally occurring proportions found in cannabis/hemp plants. The system 10 includes a hemp plant entrance station 12 which receives, at the input 14, whole hemp plant(s) either freshly cut (green) or dried. The hemp plant(s) follows to a grinding stage 16 of the entrance station 12 to expose the hemp plant(s) to an operation resulting in production of hemp plant fine particles material 18. The grinding station 16 may be implemented in the form of a grinder, a mill, or some other mechanism capable of processing plant to produce fine particles hemp plant material 18.

(3) The fine particles hemp plant material 18 is further transported (either manually or by a conveyor belt, or some other transporting mechanism) to a pressure reaction chamber (also referred to herein as a reactor) 20 which is operatively coupled at its entrance 22 to the grinding station 16 to receive therefrom the fine particles hemp plant material 18.

(4) The reactor 20 is formed from a material (for example, stainless steel) capable of withstanding an elevated pressure of 15 PSI. The reactor 20 also is provided with means for hermetical sealing the reactor to retain a reaction pressure inside of the reactor 20.

(5) One or several extraction vessels 24 (also referred to herein a reaction vessel), each capable of being hermetical sealed, is (are) installed in the reactor 20. The extraction vessels 24 are equipped with a lid 26 which can have a specific design capable of hermetical sealing the extraction vessel 24. This may be an adjustable lid on each reaction vessel 24 to allow for equilibration of the pressure between the larger reaction chamber 20 (that contains a number of reaction vessels 24) and the interior of each reaction vessel 24. This can be mediated, for example, either by a 2-piece lid with a plate that is deflectable or by the insertion of a pressure sensitive release valve 28 into the lid of each reaction vessel.

(6) The valve 28 can be installed in the lid 26 (or, alternatively, in a side wall 30 of the extraction vessel 24) to support a pressure equilibrium between the inside of the reactor 20 and the inside of each extraction vessel 24.

(7) The extraction vessels 24 may be interconnected in sequence through a piping 32 to provide pressure/temperature equilibrium between them. Alternatively, each extraction vessel 24 can have an individual exit pipe 34 for dislodging the final infused oil product 36. The individual exit pipes 34 may be interconnected in a manifold type connection to form a collective output 38 for unloading of the final product 36 from the reactor 20.

(8) The extraction vessels 24 receive a predetermined amount of a carrier oil 40 and the hemp plant fine particles material 18. A mixing mechanism may be provided in each extraction vessel 24 to mix the fine particles 18 of the hemp plant with the carrier oil 40.

(9) The carrier oil is a substance that enhances the preservation properties, potency and delivery of the active compounds within the final product. It is of importance that the carrier oils 40 used in the subject method have a high smoking point so that the reaction temperature in the pressure reaction chamber 20 does not cause burning of the carrier oil filled in the extraction vessels 24. The extraction vessels 24 may be filled with the same carrier oil 40. Alternatively, the extraction vessels 24 may be filled with different carrier oils.

(10) In the subject method, the carrier oil(s) may be used which are selected from numerous carrier oils compatible with the particular process of the subject method. The carrier oil 40 may be one of the coconut oil, Medium-Chain Triglyceride (MCT) oil, cold-pressed hemp oil, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), black cumin oil, Frankincense oil, or their combinations.

(11) The subject system 10 further includes a pressure source, for example, a pump 60, a heater 62, and a cooling unit 64, each operatively coupled to the reactor 20. When the reactor 20 is tightly (hermetically) sealed, the pressure and the reaction temperature in the reactor 20 are elevated (by operating the pump 60 and the heater 62, respectively) to a predetermined level (about 15 PSI pressure and about 230? F.-250? F., preferably, 246? F., temperature). The combination of such pressure and reaction temperature provides the extraction conditions inside the reactor 20 (as well as in the extraction vessels 24) favorable for the intensive process where the phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids are extracted from the hemp plant material 18 in a solvent-devoid manner. The extracted phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids are diffused into the carrier oil 40 at an enhanced rate, thus producing the final infused oil product 36 free of solvents residues and in a very efficient manner.

(12) The subject system 10 may be equipped with a storage station 42 operatively coupled to the output 44 of the reactor 20. The exit piping 38 of the extraction vessels 24 may be contemplated either in a collective implementation (exit pipes 38) or as individual pipes 34.

(13) The infused oil final product 36 is a concentrated solvent-free detoxified full spectrum infused oil which can be stored in the storage station 42 for a short time or the long term (years, if needed). After the reactor 20 is cooled (either naturally or forcefully by a cooling unit 64), the infused oil final product 36 contained in the extraction vessels 24 can be unloaded therefrom into a container at the storage station 42 through the exit piping 38. Alternatively, as also shown in FIG. 1, the extraction vessel 24 containing the infused oil final product 36 and hermetically sealed to retain the contents therein, can be removed from the reactor 20 and transferred to the storage station 42, as a whole, for a short term storage or a long term storage.

(14) The subject system 10 also includes a final processing stage 48 which may include a pressing unit, a filtration unit, as well as a dilution and packaging units. At the pressing unit, the infused oil final product 36 (either delivered from the extraction vessels 24 upon the extraction/infusion process is over, or from the storage station 42 after a desired storage period of time) is compressed through a plate formed with openings dimensioned to pass the infused oil while retaining some unwanted solids. At the following filtering unit, the compressed oil is filtered through a fine filter cloth to retain residual sediment from the compressed infused oil.

(15) The subject system further includes an oven adapted for decarboxylating procedure. The oven 50 may be installed between the entrance station 12 and the reactor 20 for pre-extraction decarboxylating the hemp plant fine particles in the oven 50 at a temperature ranging from 200? F. to 260? F. for a time period of about one hour. Alternatively, or in addition to the pre-extraction decarboxylating unit, the oven 52 may be installed coupled to the output 44 of the reactor 20 for post-extraction decarboxylation of the infused oil final product 36.

(16) When designing the subject effective method for extracting and separating the desirable components (phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and the flavonoids for mediating the desired therapeutic effects) from the undesirable ones (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) in the hemp plant, the effect of the solubility and boiling point temperature of the various components within the chamber 20 where the reaction occurs have been considered. Specifically, there are numerous compounds found in the whole hemp plant including the phytocannabinoids which include: ?-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), ?-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (?-8 THC) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). Their boiling points range from 314? F. to 428? F. (157? C.-220? C.). There are also more than 200 aromatic terpenes isolated from the whole hemp plant. Some of these include: ?-pinene, linalool, myrcene, limonene, B-caryophyllene, humulene, bisabolol, ocimene, valencene, terpinolene, geraniol, ?-terpineol, nerolidol, phytol and pulegone. Their boiling points range from 246.2? F. to 435.2? F. (119? C.-224? C.). The flavonoids, which have boiling points that range from 273.2? F. to 482? F. (134? C.-250? C.), are also representatives of the active compounds in the cannabis/hemp plant. When the afore-listed components are brought together in proper proportions (preferably, as exist naturally in the cannabis/hemp plant), they work together in a synergetic manner with enhanced therapeutic effects. This synergetic phenomenon is known as the Entourage Effect.

(17) Most of the hemp plant (by weight) is composed of undesirable components. These undesirable components must be isolated and removed from the cannabis/hemp plant in order to create a useful product with therapeutic benefits. By dry weight, the plant contains 73-77% w/w cellulose, 7-9% w/w hemicellulose and 4-6% w/w lignin, while the hemp shives contain 48% w/w cellulose, 21-25% w/w hemicellulose and 17-19% w/w lignin.

(18) The desirable active ingredients of the cannabis/hemp plant are all lipid soluble. Once they are separated from the plant material, they are usually dissolved in an organic solvent such as ethanol or medium chain fatty acid carrier oil. Some popular carrier oils include: coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, almond oil, canola oil, flax oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil and butter.

(19) When transferring lipid soluble compounds into organic oils at an elevated temperature, the smoke point of the chosen oil is to be taken in consideration. The smoke point refers to the temperature at which oil starts to burn and smoke. For example, the smoke point of coconut oil is 350? F., while the smoke point of olive oil ranges from 410? F. to 468? F.

(20) Fortunately, the undesirable components (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) have limited solubility in carrier oils, due to their large molecular size and complex structure. As a result, even under elevated temperature or pressure, the undesirable components remain intact as a solid and do not enter into the carrier oil.

(21) Conversely, the therapeutic compounds are all lipid soluble. Altering the temperature and pressure within the reaction chamber 20 can enhance the diffusion of lipid-soluble compounds into the carrier oil 40 of choice.

(22) Increasing the temperature of a compound increases its kinetic energy. The higher kinetic energy increases the motion of its molecules, breaking intermolecular bonds in the solids, thus causing the molecules to escape from the solids, increasing their solubility and ability to enter into the target solution (carrier oil). Thus, by elevating the reaction temperature, the solubility of the phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids is also increased so that these compounds are easily infused into a carrier oil, to produce a carrier-oil that has a high concentration of these active compounds.

(23) However, the limitations exist on increasing the reaction temperature to enhance solubility of the desired active compounds and their concentration in the carrier oil. Specifically, the reaction temperature cannot exceed the boiling point of the desirable active compounds and the carrier oil. If the reaction temperature exceeds the boiling point of a given phyto-cannabinoid, terpene or flavonoid, they will vaporize into the atmosphere and be wasted from the final product. If the reaction temperature in the reactor exceeds the smoke point of the carrier oil, the taste of the final product would be unpleasant, For this reason, it is desirable to keep the reaction temperature below 250? F., preferably below 246? F. By carefully controlling and keeping the reaction temperature below this temperature point, a full spectrum infusion oil can be produced that contains the majority of the active components (phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and the flavonoids) found in the whole hemp plant.

(24) Increasing the pressure has little effect on the liquids and solids in the reactor. However, increased pressure forces more of the gas molecules (especially water vapor) into solution, increasing their solubility as governed by Henry's Law of Gases. Even dried cannabis/hemp plant material contains a significant amount of water (14-20%). Elevating the pressure inside a tightly sealed reactor chamber to 15 PSI (above local atmospheric pressure), increases the boiling point of water from 212? F. to 250? F. 12 At a lower pressure of, for example, 11.5 PSI, the boiling point of water is only elevated from 212? F. to about 243? F. This temperature is below the boiling points of most of the valuable phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and the flavonoids.

(25) This combination of the enhanced pressure and elevated reaction temperature used in the subject method results in the reaction capable of proceeding about 30% faster and with 50-75% less energy consumption.

(26) In addition to the above-presented advantages attained in the subject system/method, the subject enhanced oil extraction/concentration is performed on the equipment that is much less expensive than the conventional ethanol extraction or supercritical CO.sub.2 extraction methods. The subject system/method are flexible enough to either process small batches of cannabis/hemp plant material or be scaled-up to handle 1000s of pounds of cannabis/hemp per day. In addition, a single reactor chamber can be used to perform multiple tasks on the cannabis/hemp plant material which does not have to be transferred into another container. For example, the cannabis/hemp can be decarboxylated before or after the enhanced oil extraction/concentration in the same reaction chamber.

(27) The subject system/method do not require advanced chemical processes of laboratory levels and thus the equipment and operating costs are lower than that of the supercritical CO.sub.2 or ethanol extraction.

(28) Another advantage results from the fact that no solvents are used in the extraction/concentration process. Therefore, no residual solvent is present in the final full-spectrum hemp/CBD oil product, and there is no need for detoxification from the solvent residue or for post-extraction taste enhancing processing. The subject enhanced oil extraction/concentration method is capable of removal trace heavy metals and other undesirable compounds, potentially detoxifying the cannabis/hemp plant material during extraction stage.

(29) Furthermore, the subject oil extraction/concentration method can process either green or dried cannabis/hemp plant material (using slightly different reaction time and conditions). The ability to process freshly harvested/green cannabis/hemp offers a substantial advantage over alternative conventional extraction methods that can only be performed on the dried material (moisture 12-16%). Being able to process green plant material, the subject system/method can avoid the drying stage and storage steps. Green plant processing used in the subject system/method bypasses the expensive, energy intensive and time consuming bottle-necks in the harvesting and processing process. Immediate processing of the green cannabis/hemp plant may reduce the need for drying equipment, save energy and reduce the amount of warehouse space that is required to store and dry the cannabis/hemp plants in conventional approaches.

(30) Moreover, another important feature of the subject system/method is the ability to produce a sterile batch of hemp/CBD oil within a sealed container (extraction vessel 24, and/or the storage container 42). The sealed container can be safely stored for long periods of time (possibly years) until it is ready for final processing (pressing, filtration, dilution, and final product packaging) at the final processing station 48.

(31) The subject method gently extracts a full spectrum of the phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes and the flavonoids from a cannabis/hemp plant and directly infuses them into a carrier oil using precisely controlled, enhanced pressure and temperature regime. This process prevents the inadvertent loss of the desirable therapeutic components of the hemp plant due to vaporization at excessive reaction temperatures. By retaining the active therapeutically desirable compounds in their naturally occurring proportions available in whole hemp plants, concentrated full spectrum infusion oil with the preserved synergy of the Entourage effect is produced in the efficient and expedited manner.

(32) Although this invention has been described in connection with specific forms and embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that various modifications other than those discussed above may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, functionally equivalent elements may be substituted for those specifically shown and described, certain features may be used independently of other features, and in certain cases, particular locations of elements, steps, or processes may be reversed or interposed, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.