Botanical extraction requires high-end machinery and technical know-how.
An intense extraction process must occur before botanical concentrates can hit store shelves. And the tools required for solvent-based extraction vary significantly in size, function, and expense.
Some pieces of extraction equipment are industrial—truly heavy-duty pieces of massive machinery. Meanwhile, other elements of this crucial kit are the size of a tea kettle.
But regardless of size, each extraction equipment component must be up to the task at hand.
Solvent-based extraction using hydrocarbons is serious business, which means you want the very best equipment on the market.
Here are ten ways to justify top-of-the-line extraction equipment purchases.
Production Goals
Selecting extraction equipment is about meeting production expectations.
Though it involves chemistry, technology, and heavy-duty equipment, successful extraction is governed by one main principle: the more botanical extractions you perform, the higher your yield.
It sounds relatively simple, but this approach can be thrown into disarray when your extraction systems are cheap, faulty, and not up to professional standards.
Think of your extraction equipment as an investment in the quality of your product. To roll out batch after batch of retail-worthy products, you need to give your extraction team reliable equipment that helps them meet and exceed production expectations.
Scalability
Sometimes production goals evolve. This can be due to fluctuations within the industry or changes to retailer and consumer expectations.
Whatever the cause, changes to your production goals require equipment scalability.
Your extraction facility’s throughput, or production rate, increases when you employ extraction machines that feature scalability as one of their advantages.
It’s important to remember that the botanical extraction business will continue to change—and with that change comes growth and opportunities to scale-up production in pursuit of higher revenues.
Safety Standards
Far too many companies have suffered the consequences of using substandard equipment to save dollars.
Extraction facility managers should never forget that costs associated with the safest, high-quality equipment are a small price to pay for the well-being of workers, consumers, and your brand’s reputation.
Solvent-based processes, like hydrocarbon extraction, are exceedingly popular due to speed and efficiency, especially for commercial extractors who want to impact the marketplace.
The growing use of these solvents means more and more extraction machines are being designed with specific safety protocols.
For example, support equipment such as chillers, heaters, air compressors, or vacuum pumps can be sources of ignition when using flammable solvents.
Top-of-the-line extraction equipment manufacturers take this into consideration when designing extraction systems.
Automation
Anytime extractors can automate their processes, it means good things for throughput, safety, and quality.
Extractors can increase safety, quality, and consistency with the advanced technology of automated controls, taking the extraction process out of the past and thrusting it into the future.
Relying on outdated extraction equipment will hinder the quality of your extracts and, in time, will cause consumers and retailers to look elsewhere for a reliable product.
You can build trust in the botanical extract industry by proving that your biomass is processed with the identical recipe run after run—this means tagging extraction batches with data logs, an inherent feature in high-end extraction machines.
Automated equipment can monitor and control the extraction process from a remote touchscreen or even via an app, which increases safety by removing operators from the extraction room.
Certifications, Approvals, and Stamps
As solvent-based extraction involves heavy-duty machinery and volatile chemicals, many certifications and approvals must be in place before you flip the “on” switch.
Here are some of the certification standards you’ll be expected to meet in your extraction facility:
- 3A Sanitary Standards: First introduced in the 1920s, today’s version maintains a large inventory of design criteria for equipment and processing systems representing the USDA and the FDA.
- ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers): ASME Section VIII is dedicated to pressure vessels. It gives detailed requirements for both fired and unfired pressure vessels’ design, fabrication, testing, inspection, and certification.
- PSI (Pressure Safety Inspectors): Provides field verification, engineering peer reviews, and consulting services to the extraction industry. All primary extraction equipment needs to be peer-reviewed by a certified professional engineer, like those at PSI.
- NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency): The industry benchmark for safe gas storage, handling, transportation, and use. You must ensure that your extraction equipment was designed and manufactured to meet a variety of NFA codes.
- DOT Compliance: The U.S. Department of Transportation established DOT compliance regulations to enforce rules governing commercial motor vehicle operation. Violators can be subject to fines, commercial fleet suspension, and in extreme cases, jail time.
These are just some of the certifications, approvals, and stamps your botanical extraction equipment must possess to be considered acceptable by many institutions. You do not want to search for cost-saving shortcuts.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
You need to maximize your chances of success in the extraction process.
This often means conducting a cost-benefit analysis to compare the projected or estimated costs and benefits associated with your extraction project to determine whether or not it makes sense to pour money into expensive equipment.
Due to the amount of labor needed to produce large amounts of extracted botanical concentrates, it likely makes financial sense to ensure your processes are safeguarded with extraction equipment that can be relied upon for consistency, safety, and satisfactory throughput.
The Cost Of Repairs
The adage “you get what you pay for” certainly applies in the botanical extraction industry.
A subpar extraction machine that’s constantly breaking down will increase unplanned downtime—and unplanned downtime is bad news for any industry that relies on a steady rate of production for success.
Even “cheap” varieties of extraction equipment can cost thousands of dollars. So if you’re going to pour that kind of cash into the tools of your trade, you might as well make sure that you’re getting a quality product you and your team can consistently rely on.
Technician Talent
Extraction technicians want to use the best equipment available today.
An extraction room filled with well-maintained, new, efficient machinery shows the outside world that you appreciate the highest-quality products and are willing to give the pros what they need.
It’s challenging to attract top botanical extraction industry talent with inferior equipment.
Cleanliness & Control
A basic understanding of hydrocarbon extracts and closed-loop extractors makes it easier for decision-makers to choose the appropriate equipment.
A top-of-the-line closed-loop extraction system works by sealing all of the vessels, creating a vacuum that pulls solvent through the tubes of the extraction machine.
The best extraction systems also include chiller and heater units that can calibrate the solvent’s temperature, leading to better yields.
The best extraction machines inspire cleanliness and control with these crucial features:
- Solvent vessel
- Material vessel
- Second separator
- Independent chiller units
- Heater unit
- Collection vessel
- Recovery Pump
Power, Electric, and Air Connection Costs
The costs of running a successful extraction facility don’t end at the amount you pay for the property or the money you dole out for equipment or salaries.
You also have to consider the total cost of your facility’s utilities, such as power, electricity, and air connection.
Whether you have low-end equipment or high-end equipment, those utility costs will always be there—but when you employ less efficient equipment, it’s equivalent to burning your money once a month.
Top-of-the-line extraction equipment is inherently more energy-efficient, which means less waste and more bang for your buck.
