As its industry flourishes, hemp continues to be more and more accessible. There is an ever-growing number of hemp, CBG, and CBD-derived products available across the US. Entire facilities are now dedicated to efficient industrial hemp extraction. It is clear that hemp is on the fast track to becoming one of America’s foremost industries.
There are even options for DIY hopefuls to fashion homemade CBD. That said, there are varying implications behind doing things on your own and working with a large-scale processor. It’s important to know exactly how each option can address your needs, and which is really most cost effective.
DIY extraction
Most methods for extracting compounds from hemp at home use simple products. Vegetable oil, bought at the grocery store, will even work. All you have to do is heat up the hemp buds for about 30 minutes at 250 Fahrenheit. Add them to a pan with the oil. Then, simmer the mixture for about two hours. Once you strain the remaining oil away, you’re left with a somewhat clean extraction.
Dry ice will work too. Fill a five-gallon container halfway with raw plant material. Add dry ice overtop, and let it sit for three minutes. Then, cover the container with a suitable top and shake it. Dump the excess material, and salvage the remains.
Both of these methods are quick and easy to do, and all the materials are available at local stores. Nothing is expensive. So, why doesn’t everyone handle extraction themselves? Well, the better questions to ask is, how much product you’re left with after using either of these methods?
The limitations of DIY extraction
It may seem less expensive to use household items over large machinery for hemp extraction, but you’re getting what you pay for, and it’s not a lot. DIY extraction methods yield such a small volume, you end up with only enough product to use yourself. If you’re a farmer with a large crop to process, or someone looking to manufacture a hemp product for consumers, DIY will get you nowhere fast. You can’t manage the right volume at the right speed.
It’s also not as easy to verify the quality of your extract when working from home. Small batch extraction leaves the door open for inconsistencies in quality and the makeup of the product. Varying levels of CBD between batches can impact the desirability for your product. It can also mean you lose a certain percentage of volume because it’s not good enough.
Industrial hemp extraction equipment
Deciding to put aside homemade hemp extraction is probably a good choice. Instead, using actual machinery designed for extraction will help you get a reliable product. You’ll have more control over everything, from the quality to the consistency. You’ll also have the capability to process a much larger volume of hemp biomass all at once. In fact, hemp extraction, on a large scale, can really only effectively happen when using machinery.
The problem — the cost. Hemp extraction equipment varies in price from under $100 to several thousand dollars. Like many items, the more you pay, the better the machinery is. However, most individual hemp farmers can’t afford the expense of owning this type of machinery. For quality industrial hemp extraction equipment with resale value, it’s best to work with an outside processor.
The value of a hemp processor partner
The ideal set-up for hemp extraction is for a farmer to have access to all the expensive, advanced equipment without having to own it. This means finding a local processor with the capacity to support your needs. You get the relief of not having to manage the extraction process yourself without having to worry about the quality. Just make sure your processor can demonstrate solid returns from their extraction equipment. They should deliver on the timeline they give you for extraction, and keep your hemp safe as it goes from drying to processing. Don’t hesitate to research the brand of machinery your processor is using to ensure it meets your standards as well.
How Arbor Vita8 gets industrial extraction done
At Arbor Vita8, we manage industrial hemp extraction through our fully-automated, state of the art, ethanol-based approach. Our Entexs-engineered system works to ensure an efficient process. Within five hours, we can process up to 1,500 lbs of hemp biomass. We can also recycle roughly 85 percent of the ethanol used in each go. This makes for an affordable, environmentally-conscious option with industrial-level yields. To learn more, contact us today.
