Ultrasound-assisted Extraction of Cannabinoids

Ultrasound-assisted Extraction of Cannabinoids

CBD has become a wildly popular herbal supplement, but many users simply don’t know how the plant extract is created. There are many ways to extract CBD from the cannabis plant. CBD can be extracted from the hemp plant’s fibers through any of these methods: carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, natural solvents, and steam distillation. Ultrasonic is a key tool for most the the extraction methods.

The Medicinal Community and Ultrasonic Extraction

Ultrasonic extraction is considered the wave of the future when it comes to the successful extraction of cannabinoids from hemp. The medicinal cannabis industry has started to turn to the advanced method as one of the best ways to obtain viable therapeutic compounds successfully from the cannabis plant fibers. It is a clean method that leaves no solvent residue.

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How Does Ultrasound Extraction Work?

Water ultrasonic extraction relies on ultrasonic waves (referred to as sonication) to pull the cannabinoids from the plant fibers. An environmentally friendly extraction method, it does not use harsh solvents. Another perk is that it takes only minutes to obtain the cannabinoids compared to other methods which take from hours to days to obtain the extraction. Depending on the ultrasonic extractor, it can be easily modified to work with a wide array of solvents such as CO2, H20, coconut oil, olive oil, ethanol, and warm water.

No Heat Extraction

Another benefit of ultrasonic extractors is that they don’t rely on heat, so the cannabinoids and terpenes of the plants are never broken down or destroyed by hot temperatures. Most extraction methods rely on remarkably high heat which may destroy cannabinoid potency and can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of the whole plant cannabinoid’s medicinal value. Luckily, the method is extremely low thermal and does not require temperatures more than 140° F (60°C).

Breaking Through the Cellular Walls

With ultrasonic extraction the problem is that THC and CBD are hydrophobic . Typically, harsh solvents have been required to pull the cannabinoids from the cell walls. Bioavailability has been a problem in the breakdown of the tough cellular wall so finding the perfect extraction method has been challenging. With ultrasonic extraction, the sonication uses ultrasonic waves. A probe is inserted into the mixture. The probe starts to put forth both high and low pressure sound waves. The waves create microscopic currents and pressurized liquid eddies which creates a harsh environment. The speed of the waves goes at speeds of 20,000 per second which effectively bust through the cell walls. The sheer force creates a pressurized atmosphere. Millions of tiny bubbles form that start to pop and effectively break down the cell wall. Once the cell wall breaks, the inner material is released which creates a powerful emulsion.