Concentrating cannabinoids from cannabis plants into resins and extracts has a relatively short and mostly black-market history. Due to the illegal nature of performing such extractions, methods were limited to those that utilized readily available materials that did not raise suspicion when purchased. Early extracts were made using butane, a readily available fuel that is easily purged from the final product. As health and safety concerns with butane extracts increased, the industry sought alternative methods. This led to the use of sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide as an extraction solvent. Again, one of the main drivers for the popularity of CO2 as an extraction solvent was its ready availability. Arguably the main limitation of using CO2 as an extraction solvent is the difficulty in scaling up CO2 extractors. Other solvents that are now used to extract cannabinoids (such as hexane, acetone, and ethanol) have their own drawbacks. In the case of acetone and hexane, the drawbacks relate to the detrimental health effects of residual solvents in the cannabis extract. In the case of ethanol, the drawbacks include its tendency to extract waxes and chlorophyll along with the cannabinoids, often leading to inferior product or more intensive purification procedures. This presentation will introduce a novel, patented method for the extraction of cannabinoids from cannabis plants using ethyl acetate. This simple method leverages green chemistry and is easily scalable to meet the current and future demands for cannabis extracts, including hemp extracts. All of the substances used in this process are FDA approved food additives; thus, any residuals pose little to no risk to the end consumer. The selectivity of ethyl acetate in extracting cannabinoids and terpenes from the rest of the plant material results in highly pure crude extracts with minimal use of effort and energy. Finally, this method does not require high pressures, high or low temperatures, or long extraction times, making it a very efficient method for extracting cannabinoids.

Raising the bar for cannabis extraction methods: Introducing a novel, safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly approach to extracting high quality cannabis resins

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.