Shatter. Dabs. Wax. Budder. Hash oil. \u00a0All are concentrated cannabis extracts, varying in consistency from the glass-like to the viscous. While they can be produced through CO2 extraction, the more economical and therefore more popular method uses butane. Thusly derived, these products all fall under the general heading of butane hash oil, or BHO. And it has been the focus of much debate and disputation.<\/p>\n
A particular paradox is that the most controversy has been generated by explosions\u00a0at improvised laboratories, with\u00a0media coverage inevitably drawing a parallel<\/a>\u00a0to meth production. But the part of the process that entails the most risk is that which is necessary to assure the final product is safe to consume: vacuum purging.<\/p>\n In traditional old-school hashish production \u2014 the time-honored method used for centuries in Morocco, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Nepal \u2014 the trichomes (THC<\/a>\u00a0crystal-laden hairs, known in the Arab world as\u00a0kif<\/i>) are shaken from the plant, collected, and concentrated. Today, and especially in the nascent cannabis industries of Colorado and California, it is more usually accomplished by \u201cblasting\u201d a chemical solvent like CO2 or butane through the plant matter. But a pure end-product demands effective \u201cpurging\u201d of the solvent, as well as other impurities that may have been separated from the herbaceous matter along with the THC crystals.<\/p>\n And unless a pure \u201cfood-grade\u201d butane is employed \u2014 such as that sometimes\u00a0used to make creme brul\u00e9e<\/a> \u2014 the butane itself could also leave behind impurities. The most common of these are mercaptans or sulfur dioxide, olfactory agents that butane is often treated with to help consumers detect gas leaks. However, failure to use food-grade butane is itself egregious corner-cutting.<\/p>\n According to a primer on the process by\u00a0Maximum Yield<\/a>\u00a0website: \u201cPurging cannabis concentrates involves using a vacuum to heat the product at less than atmospheric pressure. The molecules will heat and release the gas. Once the pressure is turned down, the gas is released\u2026 Vacuum ovens are the ideal way to purge BHO, but the ovens are costly. Small amounts of BHO can be purged using a water method and a vacuum pump\u2026 With the water method, the BHO is extracted directly into a dish that is floated in hot water. The hot water purges and evaporates the butane\u2026 A vacuum pump is then used for the final purging process.\u201d<\/p>\n This is also the riskiest part of BHO production, as it involves both heat and concentrations of flammable butane. A detailed page on the process from the\u00a0Alchimia Blog<\/a>, which covers cannabis industry trends and technologies, warns: \u201cAlways purge the gas next to a window or directly in an open area\u2026 It is important to highlight and remember that during BHO extractions we are using butane gas, and we must be extremely careful when we deal with any volatile product that can be set on fire with a simple spark produced by a lighter, by the brushing of one metal with another metal, by heat sources, electronic devices, certain types of clothes, etc. Remember that performing these extractions in an open place, preventing any butane accumulation, is absolutely essential.\u201d<\/p>\n As the industry matures, professional standards are becoming the norm, and the media hype about lab explosions is starting to subside. One recent report on the\u00a0National Center for Biotechnology Information<\/a>\u00a0website (maintained by National Institutes of Health) states: \u201cBHO production started out as a dangerous \u2018backyard-chemist\u2019 style operation that is famous for causing numerous explosions and house fires. Through the course of legalization, the production has steadily gained sophistication. The most modern, legal extraction laboratories live up to the OSHA standards with full ventilation and butane recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n The imprimatur of legitimacy from a source such as this is a good sign that the cannabis industry is achieving long-sought mainstream credibility. It is up to consumers and the industry alike to grasp the basics of the science behind the products we are using, and to be both serious and transparent about standards. This is having a demonstrable impact in winning social acceptance and eroding the stigma.<\/p>\n And once BHO products are in the hands of consumers, it is also incumbent upon them to understand that they are far more potent than herbaceous cannabis, and should be treated with respect. It\u2019s like the difference between wine and hard liquor. Cautious and responsible use is no less mandated than high standards in production.<\/p>\n TELL US,\u00a0<\/b>do you dab?<\/p>\n The post The Importance of Vacuum Purging<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Shatter. Dabs. Wax. Budder. Hash oil. \u00a0All are concentrated cannabis extracts, varying in consistency from the glass-like to the viscous. While they can be produced through CO2 extraction, the more economical and therefore more popular method uses butane. Thusly derived, these products all fall under the general heading of butaneContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[587,6490,50,943,2917,6491,240,655,6492,585,6493,2132,6494,1487],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30605"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30606,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30605\/revisions\/30606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: The Importance of Vacuum Purging<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"