CBD CO² extraction

In order to produce high-quality CBD products, the CBD extract must first be extracted from the hemp plant. This is achieved, among other things, with the CO² extraction. The process promises the extraction of pure oil with a high CBD content. For this purpose, industrial hemp with the lowest possible THC content is usually used.

CBD extraction is a complex process that is usually performed with carbon dioxide. Alternatively, alcohol can also be used. This variant is considered cheaper and less complex than the CO² extraction of CBD.

During CO² extraction, the CBD extract is separated from the rest of the plant material. The first step is to heat the hemp plant. In this way, the inactive precursor CBDA can be converted into active CBD. This process is called decarboxylation.

A distinction is made between supercritical CO² extraction and subcritical CO² extraction. The term “critical” refers to the chemical state of the carbon dioxide. In supercritical CO² extraction, this state is between liquid and gaseous. It is triggered by increasing the pressure and lowering the CO² temperature.

When the carbon dioxide reaches a critical state, it acts as a solvent. In the second process step, the plant material is therefore saturated with the CO² so that the CBD dissolves out of the useful hemp. The temperature and pressure must then be adjusted again. If the temperature increases and the pressure decreases, the carbon dioxide returns to a gaseous state. In this way, it can be separated from the dissolved CBD extract. What remains is highly concentrated CBD oil.

The subcritical CO² extraction of CBD proceeds similarly. However, at lower pressure, which is why this procedure is considered particularly gentle. In this case, several extraction processes are necessary to obtain the CBD oil.

Among the advantages of the natural extraction of CBD extract is first and foremost the stronger effect achieved in the end. The extract is characterized by a particularly high cannabinoid concentration, from which you as a user naturally benefit. Cannabidiol isolates, which are synthetically produced, can usually not keep up.

However, the CO² extraction of CBD also knows its disadvantages. In the foreground is clearly the complex procedure. The extraction of CBD oil is only successful if temperature and pressure are correctly selected. In addition, valuable ingredients of the plant are lost during the process. Because not only CBD is soluble in carbon dioxide. Aroma-bearing terpenes and flavonoids also leave the plant.