There are many ways that the active ingredients in the cannabis plant can be stripped or extracted from the plant it self, leaving plant material behind. The desired end product will determine which type of process is right for the job. In this article, we will cover the big differences between each of the processes listed below. Processing Types: -Ethanol Extraction -Ice/Water Extraction -Light Hydrocarbon Extraction -Mechanical Separation -CO2 Extraction Ethanol Extraction: Ethanol extraction is likely the most efficient and cost effective solution for extracting the active ingredient, THC, from the cannabis plan. It's a rough and broad extraction process that almost always results in a crude oil product which needs to be further refined into a smokeable product. In this process, cannabis is washed in a big industrial washing machine type system. The basket of the machine is filled with cannabis and then freezing cold Ethanol (-40C) is poured into the machine. The Ethanol needs to be this cold so that the solvent only extracts the desirable THC molecules and not the undesirable fats, waxes, lipids and chlorophyl. The operator will then start the machine which will spin at 1500 RPM for about 10 minutes. After this step, the oil and Ethanol mix is put through another machine which recovers back the majority of the alcohol used so that it may be reused again. The crude oil thats left over can then be further refined into whats known as Distillate (THC Oil testing above 90% purity) or put into edibles. Ice/Water Extraction: Ice Water Extract and Live Rosin are one of the most valuable and sought after products in todays smokeable cannabis market. In this process, fresh cannabis plant is mixed with ice and water, then filtered through a set of different micron screens. These screens are responsible for capturing the trichome heads that have been frozen. Once these trichomes are collected and majority of the water drained from them, the hash is placed onto parchment paper in a stainless steel tray. This tray then heads into a freeze dryer and the remainder of the moisture is dried out of the product. This end product is then sieved and smoked as water hash or it can be further refined into Rosin using Mechanical Separation which we will be covering later in this post. Light Hydrocarbon Extraction: Light Hydrocarbon Extraction is typically the most efficient form of extractions when it comes to smokeable products. Lab grade Butane, Isobutane, Propane or a combination of any of the three is used in a closed-loop extraction system. The first step in the process is to break down the material (either dry cannabis or fresh frozen cannabis) and pack it into the material column of the closed loop system. Once the operator is ready to begin the run, they will let the -40C solvent flow over the material and soak it for a period of time (usually 5 minutes). After the soak is complete, the operator will then open the necessary valves to allow the oil/solvent mixture flow to the collection column. While it's flowing from the material column to the collection column, the oil/solvent mixture passes through a series of media and paper filters which helps remove any potential impurities. Now that the oil/solvent mixture is in the collection column, heat is added to the column. This makes the solvent in the collection column begin to boil and evaporate from a liquid to a gas. The warm gas is then collected back into the cold solvent storage tank and is turned back into a liquid to be reused again. When majority of the solvent is out of the collection column and back into the solvent storage tank, the oil is ready to be poured out of the machine. Depending on the desired end consistency, the operator will either pour the oil onto a parchment sheet, pyrex dish or diamond miner. Mechanical Separation: Mechanical Separation is one of the newer forms of extraction/separation in the industry. This process is done by using high pressure and heat to break the outer layer of the trichome and release the THC thats inside of it. The process of Mechanical Separation is used mainly to refine ice water hash or dry flower into a type of concentrate called Rosin. The operator will take dry hash or dry flower and place it into a bag thats made out of nylon screen. When pressure and heat are applied to this bag of hash or flower, the THC resin flows out and is collected either in a jar or on a parchment paper. Currently Rosin is one of the higher end and most sought after products on the market. CO2 Extraction: CO2 Extraction is another form of processing that is typically only used to make crude THC oil. Sometimes CO2 extraction can also be tailored to separating terpenes and other compounds other than THC out of the product.