SUPERCRITICAL EXTRACTION OF CANNABI'S OIL USING CO2

Basically, the process of extraction with supercritical fluids it’s similar to a basic
extraction, with the particularity of using as extractor a supercritical fluid, instead
of a liquid.
Extraction in chemistry is a separation process consisting in the separation of a
substance from a matrix (components of a sample other than the analyte of
interest)
At certain pressure and temperature ranges, CO 2 behaves like a solvent and
can be used to pull specific compounds from plant material. A “supercritical”
solvent exhibits the features of liquid and gas. Because their properties are
strong function of temperature and pressure, supercritical fluids are considered
tunable solvents.
All substances are characterized by having a phase diagram, which allows
knowing the state of aggregation of these substances at any temperature or
pressure.
In the phase diagram below, it’s appreciated the location of a supercritical fluid.
CO2 is one of the supercritical fluids most employed in the world, because it has
a low critical pressure (75 bar), and low critical temperature (88 oF),which helps
to avoid the damage of the matrix. It has a low level of toxicity, low price, and
raw material is available in abundance.
The process of extraction by using supercritical fluids it’s based in 4 stages:
1. Pressurization: The pressure rises, above the critical pressure of the
substance that is been employed as a solvent.
2. Adjustment of temperature: The temperature rises or decreases, using any
method (physic or mechanic), to take the solvent to a right temperature of
extraction.
3. Extraction: The supercritical fluid comes in contact with the sample that
contains the solute of interest in the extractor.
4. Separation: The solvent it’s decompressed to a pressure below the critical,
which causes the liberation of the solute.
Another method that can be used it’s the subcritical extraction. Both have
advantages and disadvantages.
The difference between Subcritical vs supercritical:
Subcritical CO2 extractions require less pressure and lower temperature than
supercritical ones. The process is longer and less efficient, ant the typical yield
is smaller.
In a subcritical extraction, the pressure is maintained while the temperature is
taken below the supercritical threshold, causing it to become a liquid. It still
maintains some of hydrophobic extraction properties, but the lower
temperatures protect fragile plants to denaturing. Supercritical extractions are
too harsh for some terpenes. Monoterpenes are typically destroyed while
sesquiterpenes and terpene alcohols are concentrated (Sexton, M, et al, 2018).
Many monoterpenes have relatively low vapor pressures and it is thought
that the moderate heat involved... may have caused a loss or transformation of
these compounds. However, they produce a greater yield and take less time
(Alexander Beadle, Analytical cannabis).
Cannabis contains over 500 distinct compounds, which include
cannabinoids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and omega fatty acids. Terpenoids are
the responsible for the aroma of cannabis and other flowering plants.
Cannabinoids are compounds unique to cannabis, the most well known is THC
(C21H30O2), and also the CBD (C21H26O2). The both of them can be obtain by
using supercritical process.